As Plato tells the legend of Atlantis, the mythic island civilization was part of a large ocean territory ruled by Poseidon. Atlantis’ main island was a rocky, windswept mountain that Poseidon carved into a palace for his lover, Cleito. He surrounded the palace with concentric rings of walls, moats and rock that he gilded with metal. From this fortress, the descendants of Cleito conquered and ruled most of the world until their empire was defeated by the Athenians.

Our Cleito is a silky cowl inspired by the legend of Atlantis. Worked in the round in one piece from the top down, the knit begins with a border of mountain peaks in a textured knit-and-purl stitch. It then flows into gradually growing rounds of stockinette that alternate between rings of teal and green, before ending at the base of the mountain palace in a lacy spray of seafoam. Worked in richly tonal hand-dyed yarn with incredible luster, this knit evokes the gilded palace of Atlantis and sunlight on the ocean.

Cleito calls for 190 yards of DK-weight yarn in Color A (here, Selky in Atlantis) and 50 yards of DK-equivalent yarn in Color B (here, 100 yards of Swoon, held double, in In the Rushes). Cleito can be worked in two colors of Selky or another DK-weight yarn, but it was designed to make use of lace yarn leftover from another project by holding the lace double and working it as Color B. If you have less than 100 yards of lace and a full skein of DK, you can work as much lace as you have and then finish in DK.

Finished Dimensions: As written, Cleito is 24 in. (61 cm) around at the top edge, increasing to 33 in. (84 cm) at the bottom edge, and 10 in. (26 cm) deep. The increases are centered in the front third of the cowl, giving it just a bit of asymmetric swagger.

Yarns and Yardage: Cleito requires approximately 190 yards of DK-weight yarn in Color A (here, Atlantis); plus approximately 50 yards of DK-equivalent yarn in Color B (here, In the Rushes)--that is, 50 yards of DK-weight yarn or 100 yards of lace-weight yarn. If lace-weight yarn is used, it is held double throughout.

Instructions: Cleito includes fully written out instructions.

Techniques: Knit (k), purl (p), yarn over (yo), knit front and back (k1fb), knit two together (k2tog), slip one-knit two together-pass slipped stitch over (sl1 k2tog psso), purl three together (p3tog), working in the round.

Alterations: Cleito can easily be modified to be longer or deeper, and the pattern includes notes regarding the same.

Exclusivity: The Atlantis colorway is exclusive to the Michigan Fibre Studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The shop is beautiful and worth the trip, and so is the colorway. But if that isn’t possible for you, two lovely substitutes are Why Knot Fibers’ Peacock and Reef colorways.