Saturday, July 13, 2013

Arrowhead Lace Cowl

Arrowhead Lace Cowl

The idea for this cowl has been brewing for some time now, and I finally got a yarn that seemed perfect for it (also, the fact that it's basically a worsted-weight cotton makes it knit up quickly, and have a nice, cozy weight).  Basically, it's buttoned in the back, with a ribbed section to go around the neck, and then it explodes into a wide lace bit for the front.  And it's really fun to knit, if I do say so myself.

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Sweet Caroline (100% Cotton; 76 yards [69 meters]/50 grams); #4021 White/Yellow - two skeins

Needles: One set of straight needles in size 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, 3 1/2" or 7/16" inch buttons, plus needle and thread if your yarn won't fit through the button holes
The pattern, yo.

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches

So let's get started!  Cast on 21 stitches, and work the first couple of rows to include buttonholes as follows:

Row 1 (right side): * k1, p1; repeat from *

Row 2: * p1, k1 *

Row 3 (buttonhole row): k1, k2tog, yo, (p1, k1) x 3, k2tog, yo, (p1, k1) x 3, p1, yo, ssk, k1

Continue to work fabric in a k1, p1 ribbing until piece measures about 4 inches in length, and you're just about to begin a right-side row.  Now it's time to work some short rows for shaping.

Short Row 1: work 5 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then wrap & turn (w&t)

Short Row 2, and all even short rows: knit/purl back to beginning of row in pattern, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches

Short Row 3: work 7 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 5: work 9 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 7: work 11 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 9: work 13 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 11: work 15 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 13: work 17 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 15: work 19 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Complete shorts rows 1 - 16.  Now it's time to move on to the transition rows, which go as follows:

Transition Row 1: purl

Transition Row 2: knit

Transition Row 3: k1, kfb every stitch to end of row (41 stitches)

And finally, it's time to start the main pattern, which is Arrowhead Lace from page 193 of Barbara G. Walter's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and goes as follows:

Rows 1 & 3 (wrong side): purl

Row 2: k1, * (yo, ssk) x 2, k1, (k2tog, yo) x 2, k1 *

Row 4: k2, * yo, ssk, yo, sl 2 knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo, k2tog, yo, k3 *, end last repeat k2

Knit until pieces measures roughly 15" from the beginning of the patterned section to the end and you've just knit row 1 of the pattern.  Now it's time to transition into the short row shaping, which goes as follows:

Transition Row 1 (right side): p1, * p2tog *

Transition Row 2: knit

Transition Row 3: * k1, p1 *, end k1

Transition Row 4: * p1, k1 *, end p1

And now, back to the short rows, but in reverse like so:

Short Row 1 (right side): work 19 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 2, and all even short rows: knit/purl back to beginning of row in pattern, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches

Short Row 3: work 17 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 5: work 15 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 7: work 13 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 9: work 11 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 11: work 9 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 13: work 7 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Short Row 15: work 5 stitches, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches, then w&t

Work short rows 1 - 16, and the finish up with four more inches knit in ribbing, as you did on the other side (and omitting the buttonholes, of course, since we're going to attach buttons to this end).  Bind of loosely and tuck in ends.  Attach three buttons to end you just finished to correspond with buttonholes.  Now smile: you're done!



19 comments:

  1. I just finished knitting this and really liked the pattern and the good instructions. One question I had: Why the buttons? I knit this for my daughter and thought she might not like the chunkiness of the overlap and buttons at the back of her neck and and her long hair might get caught in the buttons, so I joined the ends.There was plenty of room to slip it easily over the head. I plan on knitting more of these cowls but will always join the ends. I solved my problem, but was just wondering why you decided on the buttons - decorative interest?

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    1. Good question! I don't quite remember why I put buttons on it, but it was probably because I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to turn out when I started, and I wanted to make sure that it had an opening in case I chose to make it so short that it didn't fit over a person's head. Sometimes I also try to avoid seaming things because I'm lazy, but realistically buttons are more annoying than a seam. And finally, sometimes I realize that there was a better way to do something when I get to the end of the pattern, but if I change my instructions my image won't match the pattern. So probably one of those things...

      And I'm glad your cowl turned out nicely!

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    2. Some people with long hair prefer not to put on close-fitting cowls over it. Maybe that was why?

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    3. Thanks for the backup! Either way, I thought it was cute! :)

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  2. Hi Gretchen! Gorgeous pattern! I was just wondering if I could use something like Peaches & Cream worsted weight cotton?

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    1. Hello there!

      I think that would definitely work! The peaches & cream is a tiny bit heavier gauge, if I'm not mistaken, but this pattern isn't too fussy about that. I'm not even sure you'd notice :)

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  3. Hello Gretchen,

    I am in love with this pattern! This is my first experience with short rows and I am a little confused. When completing the first short row as I understand the pattern, I am knitting and purling 5 stitches into the row then wrapping and turning my work. From there am I supposed to knit and purl the 5 stitches which would now be on the right needle, or do I knit and purl the rest of the row on the left needle? Also, when I wrap and turn, am I doing this twice per row?

    Thanks!

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    1. Hello there!

      First and foremost, you could probably skip the short rows entirely in this pattern and never know the difference. If you want to do them, though, you are knitting and purling the first five stitches, wrapping and turning, and then knitting and purling the same five stitches back to the beginning of the row (and then repeating the process with different numbers of stitches). You will not work a full row until you finish all of your short rows (this will give you a little bend in the work). Does that make sense?

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    2. Thanks! This helped me!

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    3. Oh good! Let me know if you have any other questions. :)

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  4. Please help! When I started to do the transition rows I knitted all along the whole lot of stitches then found that on row 2 of the Arrowhead lace part I had 4 stitches left over after repeating the * to * section. Where have I gone wrong please?

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    1. Hi there!

      Of course it's difficult to diagnose electronically, but my first thought is that you may simply not have the right stitch count. You should have 41 stitches on your needles. Is that where you're at?

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  5. hi...I love it! just finished mine in aran wool :-)) thanks for posting it... now onto at hat.

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    1. Yay! So glad this turned out well for you!!! And let me know if you have any questions on the hat! :)

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  6. Would Caron One Pound yarn work for this???

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  7. Seria magnifico que también subieras vídeos de tus patrones para que se pueda entender mas las puntadas. Gracias. Muy bonitas puntadas.

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    1. Thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately I have a thumb injury and won't be knitting anything for awhile. If there's a specific stitch you'd like to see demonstrated, however, I can help you find a video on YouTube! :)

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