Diana's Cowl

Diana's Cowl

The story behind this cowl is simple: a lovely friend sent me a wonderful Galentine's Day package, and I wanted to reciprocate with a knit good (or a good knit! See what I did there? Yes, I'll show myself out...). Anyway, she gave me the item and the color, and I designed something that (I hope) will suit her perfectly. And while this particular item is made extra-scrumptious by the alpaca yarn, I think a cotton or silk would also suit it well.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Pure Alpaca (100% Baby Alpaca; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #3003 Ruby - one skein

The pattern. It's got holes!

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, three stitch markers

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's do this! First, cast on 91 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following marker placement row:

Marker Placement Row: k1, (p1, k1) 17 times, place marker, k21, place marker, k1, * p1, k1; rep from * until end of round

And now we'll move on to a few edging rows that begin to use our pattern, which incorporates a strip of Double Herringbone Mesh from page 301 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and goes as follows:

Edging Row 1: p1, * k1, p1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, k2, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 4 times, yo, k2, slip marker, p1, * k1, p1 *

Edging Row 2: k1, * p1, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, knit until next marker, slip marker, k1, * p1, k1 *

Edging Row 3: p1, * k1, p1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, k3, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, yo, k3, slip marker, p1, * k1, p1 * 

Edging Row 4: k1, * p1, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, knit until next marker, slip marker, k1, * p1, k1 *

Knit edging rows 1 - 4, and then we'll continue on with the main lace pattern, but move to a stockinette on the sides. Or in knitting terms, we'll continue as follows:

Row 1: knit until you reach first marker, slip marker, k4, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, yo, k4, slip marker, knit until end of round

Row 2 and all even rows: knit, slipping extra markers when you reach them

Row 3: knit until you reach first marker, slip marker, k2, k2tog, yo, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) twice, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2, slip marker, knit until end of round

Row 5: knit until you reach first marker, slip marker, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) twice, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k1, slip marker, knit until end of round  

Row 7: knit until you reach first marker, slip marker, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, yo, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, slip marker, knit until end of round   

Row 9: knit until you reach first marker, slip marker, k2, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 4 times, yo, k2, slip marker, knit until end of round

Row 11: knit until you reach first marker, slip marker, k3, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, yo, k3, slip marker, knit until end of round

Knit rows 1 - 12 twice, and then knit rows 1 - 8 once more. Now, we're going to work a few increases into the pattern, to give it some shaping around the neck. So we'll continue like so:

Row 1: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k2, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 4 times, yo, k2, slip marker, m1l, knit until end of round 

Row 2 and all even rows: knit, slipping extra markers when you reach them

Row 3: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k3, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, yo, k3, slip marker, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 5: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k4, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, yo, k4, slip marker, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 7: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k2, k2tog, yo, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) twice, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2, slip marker, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 9: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) twice, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k1, slip marker, m1l, knit until end of round 

Row 11: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, yo, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, slip marker, m1l, knit until end of round   

Knit rows 1 - 12 twice, and then knit rows 1 - 7 again. And now we're going to complete another set of edging rows, as follows:

Edging Row 1: k1, * p1, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, knit until next marker, slip marker, k1, * p1, k1 *

Edging Row 2: p1, * k1, p1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) twice, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k1, slip marker, p1, * k1, p1 *

Edging Row 3: k1, * p1, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, knit until next marker, slip marker, k1, * p1, k1 *

Edging Row 4: p1, * k1, p1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, yo, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, slip marker, p1, * k1, p1 *

Edging Row 5: k1, * p1, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, knit until next marker, slip marker, k1, * p1, k1 *

Knit edging rows 1 - 5, and then bind off loosely in pattern. Tuck in ends and block. Gift, if possible, to a friend named Diana.