Commuter Capelet by Tamara Ell

Commuter Capelet

Knitting
November 2011
Aran (8 wpi) ?
16 stitches and 21 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette stitch with larger needles
US 9 - 5.5 mm
US 10 - 6.0 mm
500 - 600 yards (457 - 549 m)
One size
English
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

Intended to be worn under a dress coat, Commuter enables the stylish modern woman to blend elegance with function. Commuter is a capelet, scarf, and hood in one. No more leaving the house without a scarf, or forgetting your toque on the train.

As most ladies dress coats have a ‘V’ neck collared front and no hood, commuter protects you where the coat stops. It covers the gap between the coat’s collar, so no more scrunching up your scarf to try to fill the void. Its turtleneck keeps your neck warm without falling off your shoulders like a scarf would, and by flipping up the turtleneck it will protect your face when the wind is really howling. The hood is generous enough to keep the wind off your ears and the snow off your curls, without squashing that up-do you spent half your morning creating. You will still look fabulous at the big meeting no matter what Mother Nature throws at you. When the sun comes out to play on the weekend, its simple style also serves double duty over a sweater and jeans.

Commuter’s design is quite simple, with dainty picot edging. This edging allows the hem to be turned up to cover the wrong side of the intarsia border on the hood, as well as adding structure to the hood itself so it doesn’t fall over the eyes. The hood is worked with a back panel instead of the more traditional peaked style. This not only avoids the ‘pixie’ looking point, but it also allows for the floral panel to be worked on the back, tying the whole piece together. This project is worked in two parts. The capelet and turtleneck are worked first and then the hood is worked, sewn up the back panel and joined to the neck of the caplet.

The ideal yarn for the Commuter is next-to-the-skin soft, with a balance of drape and structure. Too much structure and this project will feel stiff and scratchy, too little and it will not hold its shape. A bulky merino silk, for example, would be a very good yarn choice for the Commuter.

This pattern has colorwork charts that are not written out. If you are not able to read charts, you will not be able to read that part of this pattern, however, you can still knit this pattern without the colorwork by replacing those rows with stockinette stitch rows.