“Mistress Mary, quite contrary,

 how does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

and marigolds all in a row?”

– “Mistress Mary” as printed in The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The lace in this cowl is reminiscent of the shape of the cockleshell flower.  Growing up, I read The Secret Garden so often my copy fell apart.  Near the beginning of the book, “Mistress Mary” is used as a taunt against the main character, but by the end Mary is more of a free spirit and tends to the garden in the book’s title.  This cowl is an intermediate knit.  It is long enough to be pulled up and cover the face against chilly autumn winds, yet is also light and can be stuffed away in a bag if the day warms up – as adaptable as the plants in The Secret Garden.

Tutorials

Chinese Waitress Cast On

Knitted Cast On

Stretchy Long Tail Cast On

Invisible join

Lace knitting 101

Size

Flat and unstretched: 17” [43 cm] circumference at center, 21” [53 cm] circumference at top and bottom, 12” [30.5 cm] tall

Yarn

O-Wool O-Wash Sport (100% machine-washable certified organic merino, 336 yards [307 meters]/100 grams): Black-eyed Susan, 1 skein

Thanks to O-Wool for providing yarn support!

Needles

Size US 6 [4 mm]: 24” (or preferred length) circular, or size required to get gauge

Notions

yarn needle, D/3-E/4 [3.0-3.5 mm] crochet hook for crochet cast on (not needed if using knitted cast on); stitch marker to mark rounds

Gauge

21 sts and 31 rows = 4” [10 cm] in St st after wet blocking and pinning to dimensions.

25 sts and 30 rnds = 4” [10 cm] in Bells and Cockleshells Lace

Abbreviations

Please see our standard abbreviations.

PU-k: insert left needle from front to back into the strand between needles and knit into front loop (makes a small eyelet)

Pattern Notes

This pattern is worked in the round from the bottom up.

The lace stitch used in the cowl is a ribbing-based stitch, so the cowl is very stretchy.  For a cast on that is as flexible and stretchy as the lace pattern, use the Chinese Waitress Cast on or the knitted cast on.

For a wider cowl, cast on extra multiples of 12 sts.

For a taller cowl, work extra repeats of the Bells and Cockleshells Chart.

Charts

Chart Part 1

Chart Part 2

Written Instructions

Worked over a multiple of 12 sts

Rnds 1-8: (P1, k1) 6 times.,

Rnd 9: Yo, p1, yo, k1, p1, k1, p1, sk2psso, p1, k1, p1, k1.

Rnd 10: K1, p1, k2, (p1, k1) 4 times.

Rnd 11: Yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k1, p1, skpsso, k1, k2tog, p1, k1.

Rnd 12: (P1, k1) 4 times, k2, p1, k1.

Rnd 13: Yo, PU-k, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, PU-k, yo, skpsso, sk2psso, k2tog.

Rnd 14: (P1, k1) 5 times, k2.

Rnd 15: Yo, (p1, k1)  4 times, p1, yo, sk2psso.

Rnds 16-23: (K1, p1), 6 times.

Rnd 24: K1, p1, k1, p1, sk2psso, p1, k1, p1, k1, yo, p1, yo.

Rnd 25: (K1, p1) 4 times, k2, p1, k1.

Rnd 26: K1, p1, skpsso, k1, k2tog, p1, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo.

Rnd 27: K1, p1, k3, p1, (k1, p1) 3 times.

Rnd 28: Skpsso, sk2psso, k2tog, yo, PU-k, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, PU-k, yo.

Rnd 29: K3, p1, (k1, p1) 4 times.

Rnd 30: Sk2psso, yo, p1, (k1, p1) 4 times, yo. 

Cowl Instructions

CO 108 sts using crochet cast on or knitted cast on (see Pattern Notes).

Join to work in the rnd, careful not to twist.  Place marker to mark beg of rnd.

Setup rnds: Beg and ending with a purl rnd, work 5 rnds of garter st (purl 1 rnd, knit 1 rnd).

Body rnds: Work Bells and Cockleshells Lace (Parts 1 and 2 if using charts) a total of three times. Stitch pattern is worked 9 times per round.

Ending rnds: Beg and ending with a purl rnd, work 5 rnds of garter st (purl 1 rnd, knit 1 rnd).

BO as follows: k1, *k1, insert left needle into front loops of 2 sts on right needle, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Finishing

Weave in ends.  Wet block, pinning to dimensions.