Free Pattern: Herringbone Star Appliqué Knit Collar in Rainbow Brights

A Rainbow Collar to Brighten Your Winter

If you have knitted a few simple projects and you are ready for something a little more special, this Herringbone Star Appliqué Collar is the perfect next step. It is a flat, rectangular band of dense, slightly textured herringbone fabric, striped in six bright rainbow colors and finished with three small knitted yellow stars along one edge. Wrapped around your neck, it feels cozy and warm, with the soft, slightly fuzzy halo of an alpaca blend yarn. It is a Nordic-inspired winter accessory that looks impressive but is built from just a handful of simple techniques, and we will walk through every single one of them together.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted-weight alpaca blend yarn, approximately 220 yd (200 m) per 100 g skein. Total yarn required: about 260 yd (240 m). You will need small amounts of 6 bright rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Use approximately 35 yd (32 m) of each color for the striped band, plus 8 yd (7 m) of yellow for the star appliqués.
• Knitting needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) straight knitting needles, or the size needed to obtain gauge.
• Spare needle: One spare US 7 (4.5 mm) needle or a stitch holder, used for the three-needle bind-off.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped needle with a large eye, for seaming and attaching the stars.
• Stitch markers: Useful for marking color changes and keeping track of rows.
• Row counter: Helpful for counting the 12-row color stripes.
• Scissors: For cutting yarn.
• Optional: A US H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook and violet yarn if you want to add the optional single crochet edging.
• Finished size: Width 4 inches (10 cm). Length 34 inches (86 cm) from end to end, designed to wrap around the neck with a 2-inch (5 cm) overlap at the front. The collar is a flat rectangular band, not a closed loop.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• st / sts – stitch / stitches. One stitch is one loop on your needle; "sts" just means more than one.
• RS – right side. The side of the fabric that faces out and that people will see.
• WS – wrong side. The back side of the fabric that faces inward.
• K / k – knit. Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from left to right, wrap the yarn around the needle, and pull the new loop through, letting the old stitch slide off.
• P / p – purl. Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from right to left, wrap the yarn around the needle, and pull the new loop through to the back, letting the old stitch slide off.
• k1 – knit one stitch.
• p1 – purl one stitch.
• k2tog – knit two stitches together. Insert the needle through two stitches at once and knit them as one, which decreases your stitch count by one.
• purl 2 together – purl two stitches together as one, decreasing by one stitch.
• slip 1 knitwise – slide one stitch from the left needle to the right needle without working it, as if you were going to knit it.
• yarn over (yo) – wrap the yarn over the right needle to create an extra loop, which makes a small hole and adds a stitch.
• pass the slipped stitch over – lift the slipped stitch over the stitch (or stitches) you just worked and off the needle, which decreases your stitch count.
• make 1 (m1) – make one stitch by lifting the horizontal strand between two stitches onto the left needle and knitting it through the back loop, adding one stitch.
• cast on – create your very first row of loops on the needle.
• bind off – close off the live stitches so they cannot unravel, creating a finished edge.
• fasten off – cut the yarn and pull the tail through the last loop to secure it.
• three-needle bind-off – a way of joining two sets of live stitches while binding them off at the same time, creating a flat seam.
• mattress stitch – a seaming technique that joins two edges invisibly with small horizontal stitches.
• single crochet (sc) – insert the hook into the stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops on the hook.

Gauge

18 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in herringbone stitch, measured after light blocking.

Gauge is critical for the collar to lie flat and fit comfortably. Gauge simply means how many stitches and rows fit into a set measurement. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern expects, the collar will come out wider and longer than planned; if they are smaller, it will be too narrow. To check your gauge, cast on about 30 stitches and work in herringbone stitch for about 5 inches (13 cm). Lay the swatch flat, place a ruler across the middle, and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches (10 cm). If you have more than 18, try a larger needle; if you have fewer, try a smaller needle. Always measure after light blocking, because alpaca yarn relaxes and opens up slightly when washed.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use stitch markers to track your color changes. Place a marker at the start of every 12-row stripe so you never lose your place in the rainbow sequence.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Herringbone stitch needs a relaxed tension; if you tug the yarn firmly, the fabric becomes stiff and the edges curl. Keep the edge stitches firm but not tight.
• Count your stitches at the end of every right-side row. You should always have 20 stitches on the band. Catching a mistake early is far easier than fixing it later.
• Change colors on a wrong-side row. This keeps the color joins tidy and hides them on the inside of the collar.
• Keep your row counter nearby. The band is 156 rows long, so a counter saves you from recounting by hand.
• Work the star appliqués last. They are small and quick, and making them after the band means you can place them exactly where they look best.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Stitch Guide: Herringbone Stitch (worked flat over an even number of stitches)

Row 1 (RS): K1, *slip 1 stitch knitwise, k1, yarn over, pass the slipped stitch over the k1 and the yarn over; repeat from * to last stitch, k1.

Row 2 (WS): P1, *purl 2 together but do not drop the stitches from the left needle, then purl the first stitch again and drop both stitches from the left needle; repeat from * to last stitch, p1.

Repeat Rows 1–2 for the herringbone pattern. The herringbone pattern creates a dense, slightly textured fabric with a subtle chevron appearance.

Band

With red yarn, cast on 20 stitches using the long-tail cast-on method. Work in herringbone stitch as follows, changing colors every 12 rows to create rainbow stripes:

Rows 1–12: Red. (20 sts)

Rows 13–24: Orange. (20 sts)

Rows 25–36: Yellow. (20 sts)

Rows 37–48: Green. (20 sts)

Rows 49–60: Blue. (20 sts)

Rows 61–72: Violet. (20 sts)

Repeat the 72-row color sequence once more (Rows 73–144), then work Rows 145–156 in red again. (20 sts)

Total rows: 156 rows. The band should measure approximately 34 inches (86 cm) in length. If your row gauge differs, work until the band measures 34 inches (86 cm), ending after a wrong-side row. Do not bind off. Place all stitches on a spare needle or stitch holder.

Finishing the Band

With wrong sides together, fold the band in half lengthwise so the cast-on edge meets the live stitches. Using the three-needle bind-off method, join the two ends together to form a flat, seamless rectangle. Alternatively, bind off all stitches and sew the short ends together using mattress stitch. Weave in all ends.

Star Appliqués (make 3)

Each star is knitted flat in yellow yarn.

Cast on 1 stitch.

Row 1 (RS): Knit into the front, back, and front of the same stitch. (3 sts)

Row 2 (WS): Purl. (3 sts)

Row 3: K1, make 1, k1, make 1, k1. (5 sts)

Row 4: Purl. (5 sts)

Row 5: K1, make 1, k3, make 1, k1. (7 sts)

Row 6: Purl. (7 sts)

Row 7: K1, make 1, k5, make 1, k1. (9 sts)

Row 8: Purl. (9 sts)

Row 9: K1, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k3, k2tog, k1. (7 sts)

Row 10: Purl. (7 sts)

Row 11: K1, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k1, k2tog, k1. (5 sts)

Row 12: Purl. (5 sts)

Row 13: K1, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k2tog, k1. (3 sts)

Row 14: Purl. (3 sts)

Row 15: Slip 1, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over. (1 st)

Fasten off, leaving a 10-inch (25 cm) tail for sewing. The star should measure approximately 2 inches (5 cm) across at its widest point. Make 3 stars.

Attaching the Stars

Arrange the three stars along one long edge of the band, positioning them at the front points where the collar overlaps. Place the first star 1 inch (2.5 cm) from one short end, the second star centered 3 inches (7.5 cm) from the first, and the third star 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the opposite short end. Pin each star in place with the right side facing up. Using the yarn tail and a tapestry needle, sew each star securely to the band with small, neat stitches, catching only the back layer of the band to keep the front clean. Weave in all ends.

Optional Edging

For a slightly more finished look, work a single crochet edging along the long edges using a US H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook and violet yarn: join yarn at one corner, work 1 single crochet in each stitch along the edge, and fasten off. Repeat on the opposite long edge. This step is optional and does not affect the overall design.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: If you used the three-needle bind-off, your short ends are already joined flat and seamlessly. If you chose to bind off and sew instead, thread a tapestry needle with a long tail of matching yarn, hold the two short ends together with right sides facing, and work mattress stitch: bring the needle up through the edge of one piece, across to the edge of the other, and back, making small horizontal stitches that pull the edges together invisibly. Keep your stitches even and snug, but do not pull so hard that the seam puckers.

Weaving in ends: Thread each yarn tail onto the tapestry needle and run it through the back of several stitches, changing direction once or twice so it cannot work loose. Trim the tail close to the fabric, but not so close that it pops out later.

Blocking: Soak the collar in cool water for 10 minutes, gently squeeze out excess water, and roll it in a towel to remove moisture. Lay it flat on a blocking mat, shaping it to measurements (4 inches wide by 34 inches long). Pin the edges straight and allow it to dry completely. Do not hang the collar while wet, as the weight of the water will stretch it out of shape.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the rainbow stripes for a single color, or for a two-color sequence such as cream and deep red for a classic Nordic look. Just keep each stripe 12 rows so the proportions stay the same.
• Adjust the size: To make the collar longer or shorter, add or remove 12-row stripes. Each stripe adds about 2 inches (5 cm) of length, so two extra stripes make a longer, wrap-around style.
• Substitute the yarn: Any worsted-weight yarn will work, but an alpaca blend gives the softest halo. If you use a smooth wool or acrylic, knit a gauge swatch first, because the fabric may behave differently.
• Add more stars: Make five stars instead of three and space them evenly along the long edge for a bolder, more playful finish.