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Estee—pronounced “es-TEE”—means star, and the cables worked among the eyelets in this cowl remind me of stars.
I discovered this stitch pattern in one of my Japanese stitch dictionaries. I love the way that two common stitch patterns—yarnovers with decreases plus a fourstitch cable—mix to make a sweet, feminine fabric.
I added a seed-stitch border. Combining simple patterns can create a lovely, lightweight cowl that is perfect for year-round wear. Estee has a simple lace stitch, making it appropriate for a novice lace knitter. It is a good design for practicing cabling without a needle because the cables are small and spread apart.
I used Berroco Maya Yarn for Estee, an unusual blend of Pima cotton and alpaca fibers. The alpaca makes it soft, and the high content of cotton makes it wearable during warmer seasons.
Estee—pronounced “es-TEE”—means star, and the cables worked among the eyelets in this cowl remind me of stars.
This project was excerpted with permission from Refined Knits: Sophisticated Lace, Cable, and Aran Lace Knitwear.
Estee Refined Cowl From Refined Knits
Step 1
FINISHED SIZE
About 48½" (123 cm) in circumference and 5½" (14 cm) wide.
YARN
Worsted weight (#4 Medium).
Shown here: Berroco Maya (85% cotton, 15% alpaca; 137 yd [125 m]/1¾ oz [50 g]), cielo 5611, 2 skeins or 241 yd (220 m) of similar yarn.
NEEDLES
Size U.S. 7 (4.5 mm): 24" (60 cm) circular (cir). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
NOTIONS
Stitch marker (m); cable needle (cn); tapestry needle.
GAUGE
20 sts and 28 rnds = 4" (10 cm) in St st.
16 sts and 38 rnds = 4" (10 cm) in lace cable pattern, blocked.
Gauge is not critical.
STITCH GUIDE
• 2/2 LC (2 over 2 left cross): Sl 2 sts onto cn and hold in front, k2, k2 from cn. Seed stitch (multiple of 2 sts):
• Rnd 1: K1, p1; rep from *.
• Rnd 2: *P1, k1; rep from *.
• Rep Rnds 1 and 2 for patt.
*A word about construction:**
Estee is worked in the round. If you desire a wider cowl, work additional rounds of the Aran Lace chart. If you’d prefer a longer or shorter cowl, add or subtract stitches in increments of 12, which will result in a difference of 2¾" (7 cm) per repeat in the Aran Lace chart. See Doing the Math on page 76.
The cables may be worked without a cable needle if desired. Berroco Maya is a chainette yarn, which is similar to a knitted I-cord. It has more give and stretch than a traditional plied yarn, but it retains the crispness characteristic of cotton yarns. Maya is combed with a bit of alpaca, which gives it a slight halo without distracting
from the stitch definition.
Step 2
LIGHT COWL
CO 192 sts using the long-tail method.
Place marker (pm) for beg of rnd and join for working in rnds, being careful not to twist sts.
Work 5 rnds in seed st.
Work Rows 1–9 of the Aran Lace chart.
Next rnd: Work Row 10 of the Aran Lace chart, knit to end, remove m, k1, pm for new beg of rnd.
Work Rows 11–19 of the Aran Lace chart.
Next rnd: Work Row 20 of the Aran Lace chart, knit to 1st before end, sl st to RH needle, remove beg-of-rnd m, sl st back to LH needle, pm for new beg of rnd.
Work Rows 1–18 of the Aran Lace chart once more as established.
Work 5 rnds in seed st.
BO all sts loosely in patt.
Finishing
Weave in loose ends. Block to finished measurements.
Step 3
This project was excerpted with permission from Refined Knits: Sophisticated Lace, Cable, and Aran Lace Knitwear.
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