Free Pattern: Hundred Stitch Snood | No Frills Knitting
There is something deeply satisfying about a project that delivers maximum impact for minimum fuss. The Hundred Stitch Snood is exactly that kind of knit. It is warm, wearable, endlessly adaptable, and built on a stitch count that is easy to memorize and even easier to love. Whether you are a beginner who has just mastered casting on or an experienced knitter looking for a meditative evening project, this snood is for you. Pull up a chair, grab your favourite yarn, and let’s get into it.
What Is a Snood, and Why Should You Knit One?
A snood is essentially a large, looped cowl — a circle of knitted fabric that you can wear around your neck, pull up over your head, or scrunch down into a thick coil of warmth. Unlike a traditional scarf, it stays put. There is no trailing end to tuck in, no asymmetry to straighten, and no unraveling disaster waiting to happen when you step out of the car. It sits comfortably against your shoulders, moves with you, and looks intentional even on the days when you have precisely zero time to think about what you are wearing.
Snoods have been popular for decades, cycling in and out of mainstream fashion with the reliability of a good knit stitch. Right now they are everywhere — in boutiques, in Sunday market stalls, draped artfully over the shoulders of people who look like they have their lives together. The good news is that you do not need to spend boutique prices to own a beautiful one. You just need yarn, needles, and about a hundred stitches.
About the Hundred Stitch Snood Pattern
The name gives away the whole game. This pattern is anchored around one hundred stitches cast onto circular needles. That round number is not arbitrary — it is genuinely useful. It means you can divide your work evenly into halves, quarters, or tenths without any awkward remainders. It means pattern repeats sit neatly inside the stitch count. And it means that when you lose count midway through a round (which happens to all of us), getting back on track is quick and painless.
This is a no frills pattern, meaning no complicated charts, no obscure techniques, and no yarn overs that require a diagram and a quiet room to decipher. The focus is on the knitting itself — the rhythm of the needles, the texture of the yarn growing between your hands, and the finished object at the end of it all. That said, no frills does not mean no character. A well-executed snood in a beautiful yarn is a genuinely lovely thing.
Materials You Will Need
Before you cast on, gather everything together. Nothing interrupts the meditative flow of circular knitting quite like realizing halfway through that you are missing a stitch marker.
Yarn: You will need approximately 200 to 250 grams of a bulky or super bulky weight yarn, depending on how long you want your finished snood to be. Aran weight also works beautifully if you prefer something slightly lighter and more drapey. The Hundred Stitch Snood is a wonderful excuse to use that skein of luxury yarn you have been saving. Wool, alpaca, and merino blends all give lovely results, with good stitch definition and natural warmth. If you are knitting for a beginner or for someone with wool sensitivity, a high-quality acrylic or cotton-blend yarn is a perfectly fine choice.
Needles: Use a 10mm circular needle with a cable length of at least 40cm, though 60cm gives you a bit more ease to work with. If you prefer the magic loop method, a longer cable of 80cm or more will serve you well. Wooden or bamboo needles tend to grip slightly, which can help when working with slippery yarns.
Notions: One stitch marker to mark the beginning of your round, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and scissors. That is truly all you need.
Gauge: Approximately 9 stitches and 12 rows per 10cm in stocking stitch using 10mm needles and bulky weight yarn. However, gauge matters less for this project than for a fitted garment. The snood is forgiving. A slightly looser or tighter gauge will change the finished dimensions a little, but it will still be a perfectly functional and beautiful snood.
Before You Begin: A Few Notes on Circular Knitting
If you have never knitted in the round before, the Hundred Stitch Snood is an ideal first project for learning. The principle is simple: instead of turning your work at the end of each row and working back in the opposite direction, you join your cast-on into a circle and keep working in the same direction, always facing the right side of the fabric.
A few things to keep in mind when joining to work in the round. First, make absolutely sure your cast-on stitches are not twisted around the cable before you join. Lay the cable flat on a table and check that all the stitches are sitting neatly on the same side. A twisted cast-on is the kind of mistake you only make once, because unpicking a large circular cowl to start again is an experience nobody wants to repeat.
Second, place your stitch marker on the right needle before you work the first stitch of the round. This marker will travel around with you, signaling the end of each round. When you reach it, slip it from the left needle to the right and continue on.
Third, if you notice a small gap or jog at the join when you finish the first round, do not panic. This is normal, and it closes up as the fabric grows. Weaving in your cast-on tail will tidy things up at the end.
The Pattern
Cast On
Using your 10mm circular needle and your chosen yarn, cast on 100 stitches. A long-tail cast on gives a neat, stretchy edge that wears well. A simple knitted cast on also works if that is what you are most comfortable with.
Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
The Body of the Snood
Round 1 to end: Knit every stitch.
Continue working every round as a knit round until your snood measures your desired length. For a standard snood that sits comfortably as a single loop around the neck, aim for 30 to 35 centimetres of length. For a longer snood that can be doubled up for extra warmth, work until your piece measures 50 to 60 centimetres.
If you want to add texture without adding complexity, here are a few simple stitch variations to consider.
Rib Variation: Work every round as K2, P2 (knit two, purl two, repeat to end of round). This gives a stretchy, classic ribbed fabric that hugs the neck beautifully and has a neat, tailored look.
Seed Stitch Variation: Work Round 1 as K1, P1 to end. Work Round 2 as P1, K1 to end. Repeat these two rounds. Seed stitch gives a lovely textured fabric with a slight firmness that holds its shape well.
Garter Stitch Variation: In the round, garter stitch requires you to alternate between knit rounds and purl rounds. Work Round 1 as knit all stitches, then Round 2 as purl all stitches. The result is the familiar ridged texture of garter stitch, which has wonderful bounce and warmth.
Moss Stitch Variation: Work Round 1 as K1, P1 to end. Work Round 2 as K1, P1 to end (same as Round 1). Work Round 3 as P1, K1 to end. Work Round 4 as P1, K1 to end. Repeat these four rounds. Moss stitch in the round has a slightly different rhythm to seed stitch but produces a similar, beautifully textured result.
All of these variations sit neatly within a hundred-stitch round, requiring no adjustment to the stitch count.
Cast Off
When your snood has reached your desired length, cast off all stitches. A stretchy cast off will make the finished snood easier to pull on and off over your head. To work a simple stretchy cast off, work two stitches as normal, then slip both stitches back to the left needle and knit them together through the back loop. Repeat until one stitch remains. Break your yarn and pull the tail through the final stitch to secure.
Finishing
Weave in your two ends — the cast-on tail and the cast-off tail — using a tapestry needle. Work through the backs of the stitches for a tidy, invisible finish. Wet block your snood if you are using a natural fibre yarn. Simply soak it in cool water for fifteen minutes, gently squeeze out the excess water (do not wring it), and lay it flat to dry. Blocking relaxes the fibres, evens out any uneven tension, and gives the finished object a professional, polished look.
Yarn Suggestions
Part of the pleasure of a simple pattern is that it puts the yarn front and centre. Here are some yarn types that work particularly well for the Hundred Stitch Snood.
A single skein of a hand-dyed bulky wool in a deep jewel tone — think teal, forest green, or a rich burgundy — makes for a snood that looks genuinely luxurious. The simple knit stitch lets the colour work speak for itself. Hand-dyed yarns have a gentle variation in tone that gives depth and life to even the most basic fabric.
A brushed mohair blend knitted at a slightly looser tension creates a halo effect that is soft, cosy, and extremely on-trend. Mohair snoods have a dreamy, cloud-like quality that photographs beautifully and feels wonderful against the skin.
A natural undyed wool in a creamy ecru or natural grey is timeless and works with everything. There is an understated elegance to an undyed snood that sits happily with any wardrobe.
A chunky, textured bouclé yarn produces a snood with instant visual interest and a gorgeous tactile quality, even in the most straightforward stitch. If you want to use bouclé, sticking to the plain knit stitch is advisable, as texture yarns can obscure more intricate stitch patterns.
Adapting the Pattern
One of the great joys of a pattern built around a round number is how easy it is to adapt. Here are a few ways to make the Hundred Stitch Snood entirely your own.
Make it longer. Simply keep knitting. A snood that measures 60 centimetres or more can be doubled up around the neck for a thick, coiled, very warm cowl. It can also be worn as a hood, pulled up over the head on a cold day.
Make it narrower. Cast on 80 stitches instead of 100 for a slimmer, more fitted cowl that sits neatly against the neck without too much bulk.
Make it wider. Cast on 120 stitches for a generous, draped cowl that can be arranged loosely over the shoulders like a lightweight wrap.
Add a stripe. Join a second colour yarn at the beginning of any round and knit as many rounds as you like before switching back. Stripes in the round have a very slight jog at the colour change, which can be minimized by slipping the first stitch of each new colour round.
Add a simple lace panel. For knitters who want a little more visual interest, a simple lace repeat such as YO, K2tog worked every other round across the stitch count creates a delicate eyelet pattern that works beautifully in lighter-weight yarns.
How Long Will It Take to Knit?
This is the question every knitter wants answered before they commit to a project. At bulky weight on 10mm needles, a snood of 30 to 35 centimetres can comfortably be completed in a single long evening of knitting, or spread across two or three shorter sessions. It is the kind of project you can start on a Friday night and wear by Saturday morning.
For knitters who are newer to the craft and still building speed, allow a weekend. For experienced knitters who have found their rhythm with circular needles, an evening is entirely realistic. This makes the Hundred Stitch Snood an excellent last-minute gift option, though it is also wonderful to knit purely for yourself.
Wearing Your Snood
The snood has a flexibility that few other accessories can match. Wear it pulled up loosely around the neck as a standard cowl. Gather it higher and pull it up over your head as a hood on a cold or rainy day. Double it over for a thick, coiled neckwarmer on particularly bitter mornings. Drape it low and loose over the shoulders for a lighter, more decorative look in milder weather.
A bulky knit snood pairs well with a structured coat or a chunky knitwear layer. A lighter, drapier snood in mohair or a fine merino blend works beautifully under a leather jacket or with a simple shirt. The snood is one of those rare accessories that is genuinely hard to wear badly.
A Note on Gifting
Handknitted gifts carry a weight that shop-bought items simply cannot match. When you give someone a handknitted snood, you are giving them your time, your attention, and a wearable record of all the evenings you spent thinking about them while your needles clicked. The Hundred Stitch Snood is a gift that lands well precisely because it is so wearable and so clearly made with care. It suits almost everyone, it is warm and practical, and it looks beautiful. Choose a yarn colour that suits the recipient, add a handwritten tag with washing instructions, and you have a gift that will be used and appreciated.
Final Thoughts
The Hundred Stitch Snood is the kind of pattern that earns a permanent place in your knitting repertoire. It is simple enough to be truly relaxing, satisfying enough to feel like an achievement, and adaptable enough to be knitted dozens of times in dozens of different yarns without ever feeling repetitive. It is the pattern you reach for when you want to knit something beautiful without fighting the instructions every step of the way.
Cast on your hundred stitches. Mark your round. Start knitting. Before you know it, you will have a gorgeous, warm, thoroughly wearable snood — made entirely by your own hands, with no frills required.
Happy knitting.
