VERSACIKNITS Op-Art Cowls Lookbook by VERSACIKNITS

op-art cowls PHOTOGRAPHS BY HESTER KROG

Four eye-catching slip-stitch cowls

welcome For the past few years, I have been exploring 2-color slip-stitch patterns without knowing exactly what I would do with the designs when they were done. Once I was happy with 3 designs, I hung the swatches on my “swatch board” and waited for the magic moment when their purpose would become clear to me. My “ah ha” moment came when I was going back through my “ideas” book and found a photo of a dickey with a hood and I realized that these designs could become “hoodie cowls”! It just so happened that I also had a dozen or so skeins of Plucky Knitter™ yarns staring at me from a basket in my studio. I picked these yarns up last winter at Michelle Wang’s Gauge X Tension pop-up store in Brooklyn, where I was lucky enough to meet Sarah Dimond and the whole Plucky gang. I fell in love with the sinful luxuriousness and glorious colorways of their yarns and knew that I just had to work with them. And so, the cowls came to life! I have to admit that I am not an accomplished colorwork knitter — I just don’t seem to be able to work efficiently with 2 strands of yarn at the same time! But I find that slip-stitch knitting is a wonderful way to produce beautiful colorwork patterns while still working with only one yarn at a time. While there are many beautiful pattern stitches worked in this manner (Barbara Walker’s Mosaic Knitting, for example), the ones that I use here purposefully vary the location of the slipped stitches in order to produce combinations of vertical, slanted and curved lines. This creates “optical illusions” reminiscent of the Op-Art movement from the 1960’s. This collection includes 4 different op-art patterned cowls based on geometric shapes, each of which has a different border treatment. The cowls are shown in three different Plucky Knitter™ yarns: Cashmere, Bello and Primo Fingering, each containing enough cashmere to feel fabulous against your skin. The designs can be knit either as hoodie cowls or neck cowls. Instructions are provided for the cowls as shown and for the individual patterns and borders. So, it will be very easy for the adventurous knitter to customize her own version by altering the border, length, circumference or number of colors used! So, mix it up and have fun! All of us at VERSACIKNITS hope that you enjoy these patterns and that you are inspired to create your own, beautiful cowls! Lori

contents the designs cuboid

superellipse

conic

spiral

the yarns abbreviations the op-art patterns the border patterns acknowledgements

17 18 18 21 23

cuboid

Cuboid: a box-shaped object with 6 flat sides and all right angles; also called a rectangular prism. 5

Cuboid neck cowl shown in Plucky Knitterâ&#x201E;˘ Cashmere in Pup Tent and Punchy.

cuboid

Shown in Plucky Knitter™ Cashmere in Pup Tent and Punchy.

SIZES

YARN

Neck Cowl (Hoodie Cowl)

NEEDLES

• 2 skeins (1 in each color): The Plucky Knitter Cashmere (100% cashmere; 280 yds/250m per 50g skein) or Bello (55% merino wool, 45% cashmere; 380 yds/ 350m per 50g skein) or Primo Fingering (75% merino wool, 20% cashmere, 5% Nylon; 385yds/ 350m per 50g skein) or

Sizes 3 US (3.25mm) and 4 US (3.5mm) 16” circular needle or size needed to obtain gauge

• Approx 375 (550) yds/350 (500)m sport or fingering weight yarn evenly split between 2 colors

While exact gauge is not critical, variation in gauge will alter final measurements.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS CIRCUMFERENCE 22 (25¾)”/ 56 (65.5)cm HEIGHT 13¾ (18¼)”/35 (46.5)cm

CONSTRUCTION CO using long-tail method, then worked in the round from borderto-border.

GAUGE 24 sts and 36 rnds = 4”/10cm in St st and 26 sts and 43 rnds = 4”/ 10cm in cuboid Pattern with larger needle, blocked.

superellipse

Superellipse: a geometric shape with a form partway between an ellipse and a rectangle.

Superellipse hoodie cowl shown in Plucky Knitterâ&#x201E;˘ Cashmere in Overcoat and Tiny Bubbles.

superellipse

Shown in Plucky Knitter™ Cashmere in Overcoat and Tiny Bubbles.

SIZES

YARN

Neck Cowl (Hoodie Cowl)

NEEDLES

Sizes 4 US (3.5mm) and 5 US (3.75mm) 16” circular needles or sizes needed to obtain gauge

• Approx 375 (550) yds/350 (500)m sport or fingering weight yarn evenly split between 2 colors

While exact gauge is not critical, variation in gauge will alter final measurements.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS CIRCUMFERENCE 21½ (24½)”/ 54.5 (62.5)cm HEIGHT 13¾ (17 ½)”/35 (44.5)cm

CONSTRUCTION CO using long-tail method, then worked in the round from borderto-border.

GAUGE 24 sts and 36 rnds = 4”/10cm in St st; 27 sts and 40 rnds = 4”/10cm in Superellipse Pattern with smaller needle, blocked.

conic

Conic: a curve obtained at the intersection of a cone with a plane.

Conic hoodie cowl shown in Plucky Knitterâ&#x201E;˘ Cashmere in Tin Type and Old Money.

conic

Shown in Plucky Knitter™ (top-to-bottom) Primo Fingering in Overcoat and Silver Lining, Bello in Breakfast Blend and Gizmo and Cashmere in Tin Type and Old Money.

SIZES

YARN

NEEDLES

Neck Cowl (Hoodie Cowl)

Size 4 US (3.5mm) 16”/40cm circular needle or size needed to obtain gauge

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS CIRCUMFERENCE 20¾ (24)”/52.5 (61)cm HEIGHT 13½ (19½)”/34.5 (49.5)cm

CONSTRUCTION CO using long-tail method, then worked in the round. Cast off in Icord.

• Approx 375 (550) yds/350 (500)m sport or fingering weight yarn evenly split between 2 colors

GAUGE 24 sts and 36 rnds = 4”/10cm in St st; 27 sts and 44 rnds = 4”/10cm in Conic Pattern, blocked. While exact gauge is not critical, variation in gauge will alter final measurements.

spiral

Spiral: a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point.

Spiral neck cowl shown in Plucky Knitterâ&#x201E;˘ Cashmere in Celebration on the Grand and Wintery Mix.

spiral

Shown in Plucky Knitter™ Cashmere in Celebration on the Grand and Wintery Mix.

SIZES

YARN

NEEDLES

Neck Cowl (Hoodie Cowl)

Sizes 4 US (3.5mm) and 5 US (3.75mm) 16”/40cm circular needles or sizes needed to obtain gauge

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS CIRCUMFERENCE 22 (25¾)”/56 (65.5)cm HEIGHT 13¾ (18¼)”/35 (46.5)cm

CONSTRUCTION Provisional CO then, worked in the round from border-to-border. Both ends bound off in I-cord.

• Approx 375 (550) yds/350 (500)m sport or fingering weight yarn evenly split between 2 colors

GAUGE 24 sts and 36 rnds = 4”/10cm in St st and 26 sts and 43 rnds = 4”/ 10cm in Spiral Pattern with smaller needle, blocked. While exact gauge is not critical, variation in gauge will alter final measurements.

the yarns

Plucky Knitterâ&#x201E;˘ (left to right) Primo Fingering(75% merino wool, 20% cashmere, 5% Nylon; 385yds/ 350m per 50g skein) in Overcoat and Silver Lining, Cashmere (100% cashmere; 280 yds/250m per 50g skein) in Tin Type and Old Money and in Camomile and French Laundry, and Bello (55% merino wool, 45% cashmere; 380 yds/350m per 50g skein) in Breakfast Blend and Gizmo.

acknowlegements Thank you to those who made this possible… Sarah Dimond and the Plucky Crew. for their fabulous yarn and ongoing support of this project. Learn more on the Plucky Knitter™ website. A fantastic group of knitters from ravelry, including blueyjoy, fromallstitchedup, justwanttoknit, onelifetoknit and sherylerickson. The creative team:

photography… Hester Krog tech editing… Charlotte Quiggle administration… Elizabeth Miko design… Amalia Versaci

And a very special thank you to our models:

Lucy

Bailey

Olive

about the designer

Lori Versaci, of VERSACIKNITS, is an independent knitwear designer, creating wearable, modern knits that explore shape, texture and construction since 2009. While sweaters have been the mainstay of her work thus far, Op-Art Cowls is her first accessories collection, as well as her first foray into colorwork knitting. But, hopefully not the last! Lori works from studios in New Jersey and Maine and enjoys yoga, sailing and her four children, three dogs and husband (not necessarily in that order). You can learn more about VERSACIKNITS on ravelry, twitter, facebook or on the web.