What's In a Name?

         My creative juices have been flowing a lot more lately and my knitting has benefited from it. Not only have I been taking up and learning some new techniques (my first color work project is underway and looking better than expected!), but I’ve also had a few patterns of my own in the works. Last spring I decided to knit a cowl out of the Be Sweet bamboo yarn that we carry at Yarnology, but as I began work on the pattern I had chosen, I realized it wasn’t going to turn out the way I had hoped it would. So instead of searching for a completely different project, I modified the one I had started and created something totally new. Now, a whole summer after knitting that first cowl, I’ve altered and improved the pattern and have made quite a few as gifts for my friends and family.

         This being my first original design, I was surprised when several of our customers, after seeing one of my cowls, asked for the printed directions. I happily obliged and am proud to say that a few copies of my pattern are now floating around Winona. It was such a great feeling, sharing my idea with other knitters that I decided to try it on a wider scale. So I’m putting the pattern directions up here on my blog for any one of my followers to use. I’m hoping it will be the first of many that I share with all of you.
         As I thought about what I would write in this post, I encountered a problem: my cowl really didn't have a name. I think each time I printed out a copy for someone I changed the title, not being completely happy with what I had landed on the last time. In my opinion, a name has to fit something perfectly and I really had trouble coming up with anything. Last night, however, while I was trying to fall asleep I began to think about the blog post I wanted to do the next morning. The lack of a good pattern name had been bothering me for a long time, so I was brainstorming. Suddenly it hit me that the stitch design of the cowl looks a little like the lattice you would find on a trellis or fence. And thinking of a trellis made me think of summer, with flowers and vines growing and thriving in the sunlight. My cowl is a light one, made more to be an accessory than for warmth and it can be worn in the spring and summer months as well as fall and winter. Everything fit together so nicely that I realized I had just officially named my pattern: The Lattice Cowl. I confess I was quite excited that I finally came up with a good name for my first original design.
          I hope that anyone who makes one enjoys it! Let me know how it turns out or if there are any problems with the pattern.

 

Lattice Cowl

  Designed by Jennifer Georgieff

Suggested yarn: 2 skeins Be Sweet Bamboo

Needles: size 9 in 24 or 32 inch circular

Cast on 200 stitches

Join in round. Place marker at beginning of round and knit 4 rows in garter stitch.

Work in lace pattern as follows:

Row 1: K2, *yo, K2tog, K1  repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: *K1, yo, K2tog  repeat from * to end of row.

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: *K2tog, K1, yo  repeat from * to end of row.

Row 6: Knit

Repeat rows 3 through 6 until the width of cowl measures 4 inches.

 

Knit 4 rows in garter stich.

Bind off loosely and weave in ends.
Block the cowl to achieve a better stitch definition.

This might give you an idea of what the stitch pattern looks like:

 

It's long, but can be twisted around your neck a second time.

This is one of my best friends Missy wearing the cowl I gave her for her birthday.