Lucina Shell Cowl

Lucina Shell Cowl

In my experience, at least half of making a nice pattern is finding the right blend of yarn and design. And with these particular yarns - the grey one is textured, and the yellow one is glossy smooth - I wasn't quite sure if I could pull off a mixed design. But then I found this gathered stitch pattern, which adds stitches on rows 1, 3, and 5 and then pulls them all together in row 7, and I thought that it was just the right combination of whimsy and texture to make the yarn pop.

The pattern. Well, I didn't do a very good job of
straightening it out but I think you get the point...

Yarn: Bristol Yarn Gallery Bradford (97% Pima Cotton, 3% Nylon; 120 yards [110 meters]/50 grams); #112 Mirage (color A) - one skein & Bristol Yarn Gallery Somerset (85% Pima Cotton, 15% Silk; 115 yards [105 meters]/50 grams); #103 Yellow (color B) - one skein

Needles: One 24" circular needle in size 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, three stitch markers or scraps of yarn to mark stitches

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches

Using color A, cast on 130 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Purl 14, place extra marker, and then purl until you have 14 stitches left in round, and place another marker. Purl till the end of the round. And now, let's begin the main pattern, which is Lucina Shell from page 226 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, except adapted for the round and stripes (and blended with a slipped stitch pattern). So here goes!

Row 1: using color B, * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back; rep from * until you reach first marker, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: k2, * yo, k8, yo, k1 * until you have one stitch before next marker, k1, slip marker, and then * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until end of round

Row 2: using color B, * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: p3, * k8, p3 * until you reach second marker, slip marker, and then * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until end of round

Row 3: using color B, * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until you reach first marker, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: k3, * yo, k8, yo, k3 * until you reach second marker, slip marker, and then * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until end of round

Row 4: using color B, * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until you're two stitches before first marker, k2tog, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: p4, * k8, p5 *, ending last repeat with a p4 before marker, slip marker, ssk, and then * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until end of round

Row 5: using color B, * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until you're one stitch before first marker, k1, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: k4, * yo, k8, yo, k5 * ending last repeat with a k4 before marker, slip marker, k1, and then * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until end of round

Row 6: using color B, * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until you're one stitch before first marker, slip 1 with yarn in back, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: p5, * k8, p7 *, ending last repeat with a p5 before marker, slip marker, slip 1 with yarn in back, and then * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until end of round

Row 7: using color B, * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until you're one stitch before first marker, k1, slip marker, and then proceed as follows: k5, * k4tog through back loops, k4tog, k7 * ending last repeat with a k5 before marker, slip marker, k1, and then * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until end of round

Row 8: using color B: slip 1 with yarn in back, * k1, slip 1 with yarn in back * until you're two stitches before first marker, k2tog, slip marker, purl until next marker, slip marker, ssk, and then * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 * until you have one stitch left in round, slip 1 with yarn in back

Rows 9 - 16: using color A, repeat rows 1 - 8

Knit rows 1 - 16 three times, and then bind off loosely in color A (I used a purl stitch to bind off). Tuck in ends.