Description:
Infestation is an advanced lace cowl designed for one skein of Knitting in France DK weight. The lace pattern is my own, inspired by nature and not a stitch dictionary. It is inspired by calla lilies and thistles, as well having read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett far too often. I have not seen either of these plants much since I’ve lived in the desert, and this pattern calls out to these beautiful structures and to the scenery I imagine whenever I read The Secret Garden. Given this, Infestation is of course a springtime cowl, with very open lace, suited for cool or even slightly warm weather as a couture accessory, able to be dressed up or down. The pattern is both fully charted and fully written, and includes instructions for working flat and in the round as well as custom sizing.

Skill Level: Thorny! Knitting several stitches into 1, changing stitch count, centered double decrease, sl1k2tog psso (or ssk), sl1k1 psso or ssk, k2tog, yo, and ability to follow charts OR written instructions. And of course, knit and purl.

Materials:

• 1 skein Knitting in France DK weight, 231-246 yds/100 grams. 2 skeins for a larger cowl. As written, pattern used ~210-225 yards. If substituting yarn, make sure to pick something with good stitch definition, bonus points if slightly shiny. This is a lace pattern that can get easily lost in yarns that are a bit fuzzy.
• 4.5 mm/US 7 needles
• 2.25-3.0 mm crochet hook for crochet cast on, or do the knitted cast on
• 5 0.5 in/1.5 cm buttons if working flat, none for cowl worked in the round. Each repeat of Clue 2 adds 2 more buttons.
• yarn needle

Yarn
Knitting in France DK yarn has shading that adds depth and dimension to the lace pattern, and blocks beautifully. I frogged it often, and did not pill or fuzz despite being merino, and has weathered being shunted around everywhere at the bottom of my backpack while stuffed in a project bag.

Other:
if you’re on Instagram or Twitter, use #InfestationMKAL when sharing your project photo.