Free Tunisian crochet pattern - Cooling collar

Make a cotton collar in a non curling lace Tunisian crochet pattern to adorn yourself or to cool yourself off on hot days.

Do you also get really hot in the summer and don’t know how to cool off? A piece of cotton fabric soaked in water can provide wonderful relief on a hot day and help recover from tension headaches.

But a basic compress is usually quite ugly. Who says that your compress can’t look pretty and be functional?

I designed this lacy cotton collar with function in mind, but it’s also a pretty addition to a vintage-inspired outfit, or even a nice accessory to wear with your actual vintage clothing collection.

Full instructions and captioned video are included so you can follow along with your favorite type of instructions.

About this cooling collar Tunisian crochet pattern

This lacy collar pattern was created with only one thing in mind. Dealing with heat-related headaches. Make one in your size, in cotton yarn, wet it and wear it to cool off and get rid of heat-induced headaches.

Or just make one to complete a vintage-inspired outfit and feel pretty. Either way works. The collar is worked in rows that grow in width and are made up of pattern repeats, with texture provided by Tunisian reverse stitches and a pretty picot edging.

Front view of the folded collar, showing the front and some of the back of the lace.

Inspiration

This idea started from a piece of knitting that I used to cool off and on a very hot day.

I got a massive headache from the heat and there was no escape (I only take painkillers when I have no other choice).

This cool piece of fabric kept my body temperature lower and made the headache go away. But it’s a rectangle and not very prone to sitting in place.

So I came up with a hybrid between the idea I was already working on (a mohair lace capelet) and the cotton yarn that keeps water that will help cool you off.

I also selected some non-curling stitches to create this, so it actually sits on your shoulders and doesn’t have any curl, which would defeat the purpose.

Full view of the Tunisian crochet lace collar from the "right side" of the fabric. — Full view of the Tunisian crochet lace collar from the “right side” of the fabric.

There are options for you to personalize this pattern in multiple ways, by adding more simple rows, making the collar wider with more pattern repeats, making the collar longer by working more rows.

Notions

Yarn – 50-70 g or 125-175 m of size 3 cotton yarn (125 m per 25 g);
Hook – 5 or 5.5 mm Tunisian crochet hook with a cable;
Scissors and tapestry needle for weaving in ends;
Optional – button for closing.

Close-up of the button used in the collar sample.

Sizes and measurements

The sample, made in the smallest size and using 45 g of yarn for the body measures 35 cm along the inner edge (not including the button loop) and 86 cm along the outer edge.

The second and third sizes measure 38.5 cm and 42 cm respectively, along the inner edge, and 110 cm and 132 cm along the outer edge, respectively.

Observations

This pattern is made with Tunisian crochet stitches.
You can change the size of the collar by starting with a different number of foundation stitches. You have three sizes detailed in the instructions (sizes 1, 2, 3).
If you feel like the collar starts to ruffle, duplicate rows 3, 6, 9 and so on to add more length to each wedge.
Instructions in [square brackets] are repeated.
Numbers after an em dash (—) represent numbers of loops on the hook before doing the return pass for the different sizes.
Throughout this pattern, you don’t skip a St after making a YO.

PDF versions of this cooling collar pattern

The pattern is also available as a PDF in my shop, with full instructions, a chart for the pattern repeat in the small size, and soon enough with a mobile friendly/easy read version as well.

You can find the PDF pattern here:

Abbreviations

Ch – chain;
Ls – last stitch;
R – return: used throughout this pattern for all rows where you have a stitch to anchor to: Sl St into the specified stitch, repeat [YO and pull through 2 loops on hook] until you are left with only one loop;
Rep – repeat;
Sk – skip;
Sl St – slip stitch;
Sp(s) – space(s);
St(s) – stitch(es);
Trs – Tunisian reverse stitch: insert hook behind the back vertical bar of the next stitch, from the back of the work, YO and draw up a loop;
Trs3Tog – decrease in Trs: insert hook behind the back vertical bars of the next three stitches, from the back of the work, YO and draw up a loop;
Tss – Tunisian simple stitch: insert hook behind the next vertical bar, YO and draw up a loop;
YO – yarn over.

Gauge swatch for this Tunisian crochet collar

Make a gauge swatch, block it and count the stitches over a square of 5 cm by 5 cm or 2″ by 2″.

Foundation row. Start with a slip knot on the hook. Ch 13 and pick up 13 loops on the hook, R (14)

Row 1. 12 Tss, Ls, R (14)

Repeat Row 1 another 11 times. Bind off the top edge by doing 1 Sl St in each St. Block and count stitches in the middle of the swatch. You should have 10 Sts and 9 rows in a 5 cm by 5 cm square (2″ by 2″).

Videos for the Tunisian crochet lace collar

There are two videos available for this pattern, one for right handed crocheters and one for left handed crocheters.

Right handed video tutorial

Here is the right handed video for this Tunisian crochet lace collar pattern.

Left handed video tutorial

The left handed video tutorial is also available and you can watch it below.

Instructions for the cooling collar

All sizes

Start with a slip knot on the hook.

Foundation row. Ch 41 (45, 49) or another multiple of 4 + 1.

Pick up 41 (45, 49) loops on the hook, R — 42 (46, 50) loops

Row 1. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 62 (68, 74) loops

Row 2. Tss to last St, Ls, R — 60 (68, 74) loops

Row 3. Rep [5 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 60 (68, 74) loops

Row 4. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 3 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 82 (90, 98) loops

Row 5. Tss to last St, Ls, R — 82 (90, 98) loops

Row 6. Rep [7 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 82 (90, 98) loops

Row 7. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 5 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 102 (112, 122) loops

Row 8. Tss to last St, Ls, R — 102 (112, 122) loops

Row 9. Rep [9 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 102 (112, 122) loops

Row 10. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 2 Trs, YO, Trs3Tog, YO, 2 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 122 (134, 146) loops

Row 11. Tss to last St, Ls, R — 122 (134, 146) loops

Row 12. Rep [11 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 122 (134, 146) loops

Row 13. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 3 Trs, YO, Trs3Tog, YO, 3 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 142 (156, 170) loops

Row 14. Tss to last St, Ls, R — 142 (156, 170) loops

Row 15. Rep [13 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — 142 (156, 170) loops

Stop here if you are satisfied with the size

Sizes 2 & 3

Row 16. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 4 Trs, YO, Trs3Tog, YO, 4 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — – (178, 194) loops

Row 17. Tss to last St, Ls, R — – (178, 194) loops

Row 18. Rep [15 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — – (178, 194) loops

Size 3

Row 13. Rep [1 Trs, YO, 5 Trs, YO, Trs3Tog, YO, 5 Trs, YO, 1 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — – (-, 218) loops

Row 14. Tss to last St, Ls, R — – (-, 218) loops

Row 15. Rep [17 Trs, 1 Tss] to last St, Ls, R — – (-, 218) loops

Back view of the Tunisian crochet lace collar, showing the eyelets and the backs of the Tunisian reverse stitches (which are in fact Tunisian purl stitches seen from this side)

Binding off for all sizes

Bind off row. Rep [Sl St as if to Trs in next St, Pic, Rep [Sl St as if to Trs in next St] 2 times] to last St.

Continue working along the side of the collar and Sl St loosely in each St until you return to the starting chain.

1 Sc in each chain across, picking up the 2 unworked loops. At the end of the starting chain, Sl St along the last edge of the collar until you return to the beginning of the bind off row.

Cut off yarn and bind off, weaving in the end. Weave in the first end as well.

Optionally, use the bind off row to create a loop (Ch 16 and Sl St back into the base of the first Ch) on one side of the starting chain. Use the second end to sew a 2 cm or 3/4″ button.

Final remarks

If you’d like a chart, make sure you get the PDF pattern (see above), otherwise I hope you enjoyed this little pattern for a Tunisian crochet lace collar.

If you want to share your project with me, I’m always glad to see it and give it a share at @yarnandy on Instagram. You can also tag me Andrea Crețu in groups, if you share the project in a group I’m in.

Here are some more Tunisian crochet patterns for you to try out and make sure you subscribe to my emails if you want to know when I publish new patterns, videos, testing calls and so on.