Free Pattern: Hundred Stitch Snood | No Frills Knitting
There is something deeply satisfying about a knitting project that fits in your bag, finishes in a weekend, and actually gets worn. The Hundred Stitch Snood is exactly that kind of project. It is a no-nonsense, beautifully wearable cowl built on a simple repeating stitch pattern, designed for knitters who want results without fuss. Whether you are coming back to knitting after a long break, looking for a reliable gift project, or simply want something cozy on the needles that does not demand constant attention, this snood delivers.
This free pattern uses a hundred stitches cast on in the round to create a generously sized, stretchy cowl that sits beautifully around the neck and shoulders. The stitch count is easy to remember, the yarn weight is satisfying to work with, and the finished object is something you will actually reach for on cold mornings. Let’s get into everything you need to know.
What Is a Snood, Exactly?
A snood is essentially a wide, tube-shaped cowl worn loosely around the neck and lower face. Unlike a narrow infinity scarf, a snood has enough volume to be pulled up over the chin and nose for warmth, or worn slouched around the shoulders for a relaxed, layered look. The name comes from an old English word for a type of hairnet or head covering, but in modern knitting, it simply refers to a generous, circular neck warmer.
Snoods have become a wardrobe staple for good reason. They are easier to manage than a long scarf, warmer than a thin cowl, and more versatile than a neck gaiter. You can tuck one into a coat pocket, wear it doubled for extra warmth, or drape it loosely over a chunky sweater. If you have never made one before, the Hundred Stitch Snood is a wonderful introduction to the style.
Materials You Will Need
One of the best things about this pattern is how minimal the supply list is. No special tools, no fiddly notions, no frustrating stitch markers scattered across the floor. Here is what you need to gather before you cast on.
Yarn: Approximately 150 to 200 grams of bulky or super bulky weight yarn (UK weight: chunky). Look for something with a bit of wool content if you can, as wool has natural warmth and elasticity that works beautifully in a snood. Acrylic blends are absolutely fine and are especially practical for gift knitting, since they tend to be machine washable. Avoid very slippery yarns like bamboo or pure silk for this particular project, as the stitch definition will not hold as well.
Needles: 8mm to 10mm circular needles, 40cm to 60cm in length. The shorter length works well for knitting in the round without the tube collapsing or becoming awkward to manage. If you only have longer circulars, you can use the magic loop method.
Notions: One stitch marker to mark the beginning of your round, a tapestry needle or blunt darning needle for weaving in ends, and scissors.
Gauge: Approximately 10 to 12 stitches over 10cm in the stitch pattern on 8mm to 10mm needles. Gauge is not critical for a snood since it does not need to fit precisely, but checking your gauge will help you predict how the finished dimensions will look.
Finished Dimensions (approximate): 60cm circumference by 35cm height. The ribbed or textured stitch pattern used in this design gives the snood natural stretch, so it will comfortably fit most head and neck sizes.
Choosing the Right Yarn
The yarn choice makes an enormous difference to the final feel of this snood. Because it sits against your neck and potentially your face, softness matters. Here are a few tips for choosing well.
Wool and wool blends are generally the warmest and most rewarding to knit with at this weight. Superwash merino is a wonderful choice if you want softness combined with easy care. Alpaca blends are incredibly soft but can be quite heavy, so keep that in mind if you want a snood that sits high and holds its shape. Pure alpaca also has very little memory, meaning it may stretch out more over time.
If you are knitting for someone with wool sensitivity, look for a high-quality acrylic with a soft hand, or a cotton-acrylic blend. Many modern acrylics are genuinely comfortable against skin and wash brilliantly, which is a real practical advantage for a cold-weather accessory.
For the most dramatic stitch definition in a textured pattern, choose a plied yarn rather than a single-ply. The twist of a plied yarn creates cleaner knit and purl stitches, which gives the snood a more polished, intentional look.
Understanding the Pattern: Why One Hundred Stitches?
The number one hundred was chosen deliberately for this design. It is easy to count, easy to remember, and divisible by many common stitch repeat numbers. A repeat of two, four, five, ten, or twenty all divide evenly into one hundred, which means this snood is incredibly adaptable. The main pattern below uses a simple two-by-two rib as its base, but once you understand the construction, you can experiment with any stitch pattern that divides into one hundred.
One hundred stitches at a bulky weight also creates a finished circumference of approximately 60cm, which is roomy enough to wear pulled up over the face but not so large that it swamps the wearer. It is a genuinely thoughtful number for this project, not an arbitrary choice.
The Pattern
Abbreviations
CO: Cast on
K: Knit
P: Purl
K2: Knit two stitches
P2: Purl two stitches
PM: Place marker
SM: Slip marker
BO: Bind off
Rep: Repeat
St/sts: Stitch/stitches
BOR: Beginning of round
Cast On and Setup
Using your 8mm to 10mm circular needles, cast on 100 stitches using your preferred cast on method. A long-tail cast on is recommended as it creates a neat, slightly elastic edge that suits a snood well. If you prefer, a cable cast on is also a solid choice.
Once your 100 stitches are on the needle, join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your cast on. This is the most common mistake when knitting in the round, and a twisted cast on cannot be corrected without starting again. Take a moment to lay your work flat and confirm that all stitches hang below the needle rather than any spiralling around.
Place your stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Main Pattern: Two-by-Two Rib
Round 1: K2, P2 repeat to end of round, SM.
Repeat Round 1 for every subsequent round until the snood measures approximately 35cm from the cast on edge.
That is the entire pattern. This is intentionally a no frills design. The repetition of the two-by-two rib creates a dense, deeply textured fabric with excellent stretch. It looks deliberate and tidy, it feels substantial in the hand, and it grows surprisingly quickly at a bulky weight.
Finishing
When your snood measures your desired height, bind off using a stretchy method. The most popular options are:
Stretchy bind off: Knit two stitches, then slip them back to the left needle and knit them together through the back loop. Continue in this way across all stitches. This method is slightly fiddly to learn but creates a beautiful elastic edge.
Sewn bind off: Break your yarn, leaving a tail approximately three times the circumference of your snood. Thread the tail onto your tapestry needle. Working from right to left, insert the needle purlwise through the first two stitches, pull through, then insert knitwise through the first stitch only and slide it off the needle. Continue in this way. This creates the most elastic possible edge and is particularly suitable for a snood that may be pulled on and off over the head frequently.
Once you have bound off, weave in both ends securely. A snood takes a lot of pulling on and off, so give your ends an extra pass through the fabric to make sure they are well anchored.
Wet block your finished snood if the yarn responds well to blocking. Even a brief soak and gentle reshaping can smooth out any irregularities and open up the texture beautifully. Wool and wool blend yarns respond best to blocking. Acrylics generally do not benefit much from wet blocking, though you can steam block them carefully if desired.
Variations to Try
Once you have made the basic Hundred Stitch Snood, the pattern becomes a template you can adapt endlessly. Here are a few variations worth trying.
Moss Stitch Snood: Substitute the two-by-two rib with a moss stitch pattern. In the round, work K1, P1 for the first round, then P1, K1 for the second round. Repeat these two rounds throughout. The result is a denser, flatter fabric with a beautiful tweedy texture. This works particularly well in a heathered or tweed yarn.
Seed Stitch Variation: Similar to moss stitch but slightly different in construction, seed stitch in the round is worked the same way and creates a very similar effect. Many knitters use the two terms interchangeably, so do not worry too much about the distinction.
Striped Snood: Use two or more colours and switch every two rounds for a clean, modern stripe. Because you are working in the round, odd numbers of rounds per stripe will cause the colour change to jog slightly, while even numbers create a cleaner line. A simple two-round stripe is very beginner-friendly and uses up scraps of bulky yarn brilliantly.
Cable Panel Snood: For a more advanced version, introduce a simple six or eight-stitch cable panel into the design. A single travelling cable down the front of the snood adds visual interest without significantly increasing the complexity of the knitting. Keep the rest of the snood in plain knit or rib to let the cable stand out.
Taller Snood: Simply knit more rows to create a snood that can be folded back on itself for extra warmth, or pulled all the way up over the head as a loose hood. Add another 10 to 15cm for a generous double-layered effect.
Tips for Success
Count your stitches before you join in the round. It sounds obvious, but losing a stitch at this stage means your two-by-two rib will not line up evenly. Recount before you place your marker.
Use a differently coloured stitch marker. If you are also using a stitch marker for a cable or pattern repeat, make sure your beginning-of-round marker is visually distinct. A simple piece of contrast yarn works as a marker in a pinch.
Knit loosely. At a bulky weight on large needles, it is easy to work tightly, especially if you are a naturally tight knitter. Try to relax your tension, particularly on the purl stitches, which tend to tighten up more than knit stitches for most people. A snood needs to have that pulled-on-and-off elasticity to function well.
Check your length frequently. Different yarns have different amounts of natural stretch, and a snood that looks short on the needles may relax considerably once it is off and worn. Hold your work up around your neck periodically to get a sense of the actual wearable length.
Don’t skip the weaving in of ends. A snood made in the round technically only has two ends, but those two ends are important. Take the time to weave them in carefully, running the tail back and forth through the fabric at least twice, changing direction to lock it in place.
Making It a Gift
The Hundred Stitch Snood is one of the most reliable gift knitting projects in this category. It is quick enough to feel achievable even during a busy gift-making season, it suits almost any recipient, and it looks far more impressive than the simplicity of the knitting would suggest.
For a gift, consider splurging slightly on the yarn. A beautiful skein in a rich, deep colour made from soft superwash wool or a merino-alpaca blend will feel luxurious to receive. Package it with a simple hand-written note explaining the care instructions, and you have a genuinely thoughtful, handmade gift.
For children, reduce the stitch count to 60 or 70 and use a finer weight yarn on appropriately sized needles. The proportions scale down well and the resulting snood makes a practical, cheerful winter accessory for little ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this snood flat instead of in the round? You can, though the construction changes significantly. Working flat, you would cast on 101 stitches to account for a seam stitch, work back and forth in your chosen stitch pattern, then seam the two short edges together when the fabric reaches your desired height. The result is the same, though the seam adds a small amount of bulk.
What if I do not have circular needles? Double-pointed needles work in theory but are quite impractical for 100 stitches at a bulky weight. Investing in a set of short circular needles is genuinely worthwhile for projects like this. They are not expensive and they open up a huge range of patterns.
My rib is not lining up around the round. What happened? This is almost always a twisted cast on or a miscounted cast on. Check that your stitch count is exactly 100 and that none of your stitches twisted when you joined. If you are several rounds in and notice the problem, it is unfortunately worth restarting — a twisted join is very visible in the finished object.
How much yarn do I actually need? For a snood this size in bulky weight, most skeins of 100 to 200 grams will be more than sufficient. If you are using a single skein, weigh it before you start and check your progress at the halfway point to make sure you have enough for the full height.
Why No Frills Is the Right Approach
There is a whole philosophy behind no frills knitting, and it deserves a word here. So much of modern pattern design layers on complexity — intricate stitch combinations, multiple yarn colours, shaping that requires constant attention, finishing steps that take longer than the actual knitting. For many knitters, that complexity is part of the joy. But there is an equally valid and deeply satisfying approach that strips everything back to the essentials.
A well-made rib snood in a beautiful yarn does not need embellishment. The texture speaks for itself. The warmth speaks for itself. The act of making something functional and lovely without needing to follow a complicated chart or count rows obsessively is its own reward. No frills knitting is for people who want to be in the making, not fighting the pattern. The Hundred Stitch Snood is a small declaration of that value.
Cast it on tonight. It will be finished before the week is out.
If you make this pattern, share your finished snood using the hashtag #HundredStitchSnood. All skill levels are welcome here, and every version of this snood — in every yarn and every colour — is worth celebrating.
