Knitty Eleanor Cowl
I actually cast on for Eleanor in mid October but those 132 stitches sat for two weeks – just the promise of a cowl at that point. I knit it in fits and starts, hence the delay in finishing this beautifully simple pattern. I thought chart-reading would be a problem after my long knitting hiatus but this is easy-peasy. If you’re sitting on the fence about this pattern, time to jump in and knit it!
It helps that I rediscovered my Knee-sel™ from Nancy’s Knit Knacks. Totally worth whatever I paid for it. The name comes from the fact that you can prop it on your knee to read and knit at the same time. It is a perfectly portable easel with a pop-up flap to hold papers or charts in place. It made knitting in the waiting room so much more manageable, without having to wrangle papers along with a wily ball of yarn and needles.
By the way, I have no affiliation with Nancy or her Knit Knacks.
Choices and modifications
- The pattern calls for sport-weight such as Lorna’s Laces or similar. I used about 2/3rds of one skein of Kitchen Sink Dyeworks bamboo merino worsted with no adjustments for gauge. Despite weight difference, the cowl still retains the grace of lace but with a bit of heft from the slightly beefier yarn.
- I chose to knit the piece flat because I found it easier to manage moving the stitch markers. I cast on using size 9 US and switched to size 8 once I finished Chart A.
- I used Ravelry member Nakiru’s modifications to Chart B to make the pattern more symmetrical:
Edit rows 17, 31 and 45 of chart B so that the decreases in these rows showing “k-k2tog-k2tog-k2tog-k2tog” become “ssk-ssk-k1- k2tog-k2tog.” I tinkered with the pattern chart to make this mod a bit clearer:
Eleanor, Chart B Mods
- By the way, there is a bit of errata in the written instructions. Where it says, “When you begin working Rounds 5, 15, 35 and 48,” it should read “When you begin working Rounds 5, 15, 35 and 43.” The chart itself is correctly highlighted.
- Because the yarn is worsted weight, I did not repeat rows 23-49 as called for in the pattern. I had already reached the finish height of 12” by the time I hit row 50.
- I used a Kitchener stitch to seam the cowl. It might have been easier to do a 3-needle bind-off or crochet the two sides together but this way, the seam came out nice and clean with little tell-tale thickness on the inside.
[Post] For those with knitterly inclinations, there’s a new post on finishing Knitty’s Eleanor cowl: http://www.yarnismymetier.com/2010/11/16…
@YarnIsMyMetier the blocked Eleanor seriously looks great!
@rebeccawilova Thank you,R. I should’ve taken a picture when you tried it on. My model just doesn’t have the shoulders to do it justice.
I can barely understand what any of that means (oh, but how I aspire!!), but it is outright GORGEOUS!! Nice work!!
I’m beginning to itch again… might need a few more lessons…
So…very…gorgeous. And the knee-sel has me intrigued. <3
Your cowl looks lovely.
I think I kneed a kneesel. (apologies)
Lovely! The lace pattern looks great in a thicker yarn.
How absolutely lovely — and just in time for colder weather! Your handiwork is gorgeous and I really like the colors of the yarn. Beautiful!!!
Oh, that’s pretty and the yarn you chose makes it especially nice!!
(((hugs)))
Really interesting! I like them very much.The lace pattern looks great in a thicker yarn.
Love your Eleanor cowl, I am attempting to knit it myself and am struggling. I seem to be losing stitches, I see the design tapers, so am hoping this is correct. I have never knitted from a chart so any advice would be very much appreciated. Many thanks.
Thank you, Sue. Yes, the design is slightly flared at the bottom and narrows toward the top. As for chart reading, all I can tell you is that they’re read from right to left (odd rows) and left to right (even). The repeated section is usually highlighted. Use the symbol key to work out the instruction represented in the chart.
If you can, call the shop where you bought the yarn and ask for hands-on help. There are books and classes. There are probably YouTube videos as well. If you’re on Ravelry, look up the project. I see a couple of knitters who’ve translated the chart to written instructions. If all else fails, contact the pattern author, Audrey Knight (http://audknits.com/).