Friday, February 28, 2014

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.





29 comments:

  1. Love!!! The color combination you chose is perfect for this design.
    I also enjoy that you use cotton or cotton blends. I find many wool yarns too itchy for me - so am always on the look out for good cotton and cotton blends - with wool - with silk, etc....

    Linda in VA

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    Replies
    1. My mom is allergic to wool, so I'm always thinking about other fibers as well! And, quite frankly, 100% wool chews up my hands when I knit it, and I'm a wimp.

      Finally, I'm glad to hear you like the cowl!

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    2. Have you tried alpaca yarn? It's really soft and warm. Unless, of course, if you live in a warm climate.

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    3. Gretchen -- this is a lovely pattern!!! I'm finishing up my winter knits and looking for some cotton-blend yarn/patterns for the summer. Wishing for Spring to come!!

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    4. I just finished a cowl in alpaca - the Flemish Block Cowl. And it was fantastic to knit, I love the fiber! And keep checking back, because I'm transitioning into springier knits now, and hope to have more warmer-weather cowls and such up soon!

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  2. That is going into my queue!

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    Replies
    1. This is one of my favorite designs, I have to admit. I'm glad you like it!

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    2. Please help, I did cast on 130 sts, now am I suppose to knit a round to join? Or am I suppose to start with the 14 purl? I am confused

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    3. Hi! You do not need to knit an extra round; the reason that I use the generic language "join in round" is because different people do it differently. Personally, I would cast on, place marker, and then purl two stitches using both the yarn tail and the live yarn. I would then drop the tail and purl the remaining 12 stitches from the next direction, and continue from there. Other people may join by swapping the first and the last stitches, or some other technique. Whichever one you use, all you need to do is make sure that the 14 stitches after the row marker are purls. Hope that helps :) Let me know if you have any other questions!

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    4. Gretchen, when you say slip one are you leaving it on the needle or doing a passover the knit one stitch?

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    5. You're talking about the slip one with yarn in back, right? Just leave it on the needle and you're all set :) The slipped stitches at the back of the cowl just help to make the piece less wide at the back of your neck.

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    6. You're welcome! And please, don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.

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  3. I love all of your patterns but this one takes the cake. Love the design and the color combination!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad to hear it! I do love yellow, I confess :)

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  4. Very nice pattern.I like very much this pattern.
    Please can you explaine me how to knit k4tog through back loop.
    I know how to knit k4tog as normal way.
    Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Hello! Glad to hear you like it :) And knitting 4 together through the back loop is basically like k2tog tbl, except with 4! I was only able o find a video of the 2 stitch version, but it should be pretty self explanatory how to do it with 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TQnQRNWxvg

      Let me know if you have any other questions!

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  5. Thank you very much for your kind reply.
    Lovely pattern.hope to finish very soon.

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    Replies
    1. Some day I hope to put more instructional stuff on my site; until then, I'm always happy to track down videos and tutorials to help :)

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  6. I the one who asked about 4tog question. Now I understand very well.
    Thank you very much to helping me. Now I have a another problem.
    I think you will help me. I have done about 16 rows but the pattern comes only
    half of the cowl. Why its like that can you please help me for that.
    Thank you very much.

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    Replies
    1. Hello again!

      This piece is made up of two patterns, a slipped stitch pattern at the back of the neck (which will end up being a bit less wide than the main pattern, and give the cowl some shape), and of course the main Lucina Shell pattern for the rest of it. However, the slipped stitch pattern should definitely not cover half of the piece, since it starts as the back 28 stitches (14 stitches on either side of the row marker), and then decreases as the cowl progresses. If you look at the second picture from the bottom, the one of the back of the cowl, you can see how these two sections come together. If you're slipped stitch section is bigger, perhaps your extra markers are in the wrong place? I'm not sure what else could be going on... If you have any more information, though, I'm happy to take another guess :)

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  7. Thank you very much to replying me. I can understand how its come.
    I am really happy to finish this cowl. I will let you know when I am finished it.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds good :) And of course I'm happy to answer any more questions you may have.

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  8. I just finished the cowl Lucina Shell. I think you can remember me I am the one who asked about 4tog questions. I would like to thank you again for helping me several times for my questions. This is a very lovely pattern.I like it very much. I did with blue and white.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad to hear you're happy with your cowl :) And my baby is wearing blue and white stripes right now, so I can totally picture your colors... I bet it's lovely!

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  9. Hello Again. - I am wondering how we can Save the Pattern since it isn't a PDF

    Thank you so much.

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    1. Good question! You should be able to use the green PrintFriendly button at the bottom of the pattern to print it to a pdf, which will do the same thing. :)

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