Baby Fern Lace Cowl

Almost a year ago I took a yarn hand-dying class at Mind's Eye Yarns in Cambridge. Along with a couple samples, I dyed 4 skeins of sock yarn (see photo below). I finally got around to knitting something with one of the skeins!





The pattern is the Baby Fern Lace Hood/Hat/Cowl by Allyson Ryan and it's a free pattern over at Ravelry

It was a fast, fun and relatively easy to knit once I made the stitch change noted below.




Notes:

117 stitches has a 13 times repeat not the 16 noted in the pattern. (This has been corrected in the latest available version of the pattern.)

The pattern defines a SSK as "slip 1 stitch purl wise, knit next stitch and pass slipped stitch over (left slant)". but that definition is really for a sl1, k1, psso. I chose to do an actual SSK but an "improved" version which is: "Slip one stitch as if to knit, slip the next stitch as if to purl, knit the two together through the back loops". This is also a left slanting decrease, lies flatter and was easier to execute with this pattern. (This has been corrected in the latest available version of the pattern.)

I used a long-tail cast (essentially a knit row itself) so I started the beginning garter stitch section with a purl row rather than a knit row and eliminated row #8 before starting the repeat.

I did a regular bind off but went up a needle size. Both the cast-on and bind-off were loose enough.

Finished blocked size (you must block this pattern!) was 18" circumference and a height/length of 26".

The yarn is a Superwash Merino/Tencel blend.


I'm going to knit a pair of socks with one of the remaining skeins but I welcome any suggestions for the other two skeins as well as the two little samples.