Pollinae features a panel of twisted stitches and simple lace flanked by bands of stockinette stitch. The motif is both written and charted.

It’s is one of those wonderfully flexible patterns that you can customize to suit your liking. Wider and shorter? Long and skinny for looping? An extra-wide, two-skein version? The pattern has you covered. You can even switch out the stockinette edges for garter stitch, if you want to cut down on the slight roll factor Pollinae is designed to have for easy wearability. And you have your pick of three joining methods: the three-needle bind-off and two flavors of grafting. Everything you need to make just the version you want!

Why “Pollinae”? While I was knitting the sample, my son discovered bees. He would stand under our flowering cherry tree and watch them dip in and out of its blossoms, doing their endless gathering. No doubt because of his fascination, once I saw flower centers and honeycomb cells in Pollinae’s motif, I couldn’t unsee them. And so, the cowl became a tribute to those unassuming little pollinators on which we depend. The suffix -ae is the plural ending for feminine nouns in Latin. Since all the worker bees who gather pollen (and thus pollinate our flowering plants) are female, this seemed fitting!

SIZE
Circumference: 40.5” / 103 cm
Height: 13” / 33 cm
Measurements taken after firm blocking. Cowl will shrink some with wear.

YARN
Shown in Blue Skin Yarns Estel (50% Merino, 50% Silk; 437 yd / 400 m per 100 g / 3.53 oz skein), 1 skein, in Electric Lilla

To substitute another fingering-weight yarn: approximately 465 yd / 425 m of fingering weight yarn. This total includes a 10% buffer on top of what the sample used to accommodate different bases and gauges.

NEEDLES
US 4 3.5 mm needles of choice for working flat, or size needed to obtain gauge

Second set of needles in a similar size for joining; you may use alternate needle configurations for joining, but pattern is written assuming two pairs of needles

NOTIONS
2 stitch markers, waste yarn, crochet hook similar to working needles in size, lifeline yarn (optional but recommended), tapestry needle

GAUGE
One 16-stitch, 32-row repeat of Motif (page 4) = 2.75” 7 cm wide and 4” 10 cm tall after firm blocking. Gauge is not crucial but will affect yardage used and final dimensions.

TECHNIQUES
Single and double decreases, yarn overs, twisted stitches, provisional cast-on, grafting OR three-needle bind-off. Pattern includes links to more information about required stitches and techniques.

Here’s how testers described Pollinae: intuitive , peaceful , feminine, mind-calming, structured, elegant, clean, tranquil, interesting, entracing, engrossing, addictive, cute, classy, cozy, well written, fun, whimsical, relaxing, portable, enjoyable, therapeutic, versatile, rhythmic, pleasantly repetitive, rewarding, easy to memorize, easy to customize, good travel knitting, a wardrobe staple, “packed full of resources,” and “fun pattern to get lost in.“ They also called special attention to how clear the instructions are for grafting in pattern, if you choose that join method!

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