Barb's Intermediate Entrelac Cowl Adventure

Skill level Intermediate: Intermediate to advanced knitting, basic entrelac – knit, purl, work in the round, pick up stitches, ability to work entrelac base triangles and rectangles. Knitting and purling backwards will be taught in the first class, but are not necessary to work the project. Working with differing sizes of rectangles, patterning within rectangles, etc. will be supported in this class.

Yarn to Use:

• Any weight is usable, see below for suggestions. Please remember that the finer the yarn you use, the more knitting and more time will be required to complete a project. Unpatterned 8x15 rectangles take an estimated 5 and 10 minutes to work.
• Instructor is allergic to angora; please do not select angora or angora blend yarn for this class.

Needle Size: Compatible with yarn weight recommended – see ball band for suggested needles. Circular length should be shorter than desired length of cowl.

Gauge: Gauge will be used to calculate the size of the cowl and the number of stitches needed for desired length. To start, use needle size on yarn band.

Yarn Weight recommended: Gradual or self-striping color changes work especially well for this technique. Rows can also be worked using different skeins, leading to a checkerboard effect. Remember that thinner yarns work up more slowly and take more time to knit!

Materials:

• Approximate yardage needed depends on individual knitting but some extra is included. Entrelac knitting includes bound-off edges as part of the interior structure, so will require more yardage than a standard scarf.  Patterning will also increase the amount of yarn needed to complete a project.   Unwound skeins can be returned if unused. (Yardages below taken from Ann Budd’s scarf estimates)

• Needles as recommended on ball band of yarn, circular length should be shorter than desired length of cowl.
• Locking stitch markers.
• Crochet hook of similar size to needles, Stitch Fix or similar tool (hook on one end, point on the other end) as preferred, tapestry needle, scissors.
• Notepad for keeping track of progress.
• Fingering and sport can be used alone, or held together with another yarn to make a thicker cowl.
• Chart(s) if planning to use colorwork, cabling, or lace as part of your design.
• Finishing: no special requirements
• Optional – a gram scale and a calculator

Color-shifting yarn suggestions:

Yarns with some stretch will generally be easier to work with for entrelac. Some of the listed yarns are cotton or non-stretchy blends – they will work but may be a bit more difficult to use.

You are not restricted to these yarns; you can use one or more colors in the same weight. Again, a yarn with some stretch is suggested, and the thinner the yarn, the more knitting time is involved.

Homework for first class:

• Please purchase yarn before first class. Unwound skeins can be returned if unused.
• Please bring to class a notepad, along with the size of cowl you wish to make. Think about what customizations you wish to make to your cowl, and jot them down ahead of time. (A short cowl is about 22-24” long and can be as wide as you like.) If you aren’t sure of dimensions, measure a cowl that you like.
• Bring any charts for patterning you may wish to incorporate into the cowl.
• Please bring extra needles and scrap yarn of a similar size to your project yarn. Cast on 24 stitches with this scrap yarn, and work several rows in stockinette or garter; we will use this in the first class to practice knitting and purling backwards. It is easier to learn if you have an inch or so of already-knitted fabric to hold onto.
• On your project needles, cast on three times the number of stitches for the block size you will be using your project yarn and work this into three edge triangles and block – we will calculate your project cast on for finished dimensions using this swatch. It is important to bring the completed base triangle swatch to the first class so we can design your project.