INTRODUCTION

Funny Ellada

by Eléna Leprêtre

One of my friends told me about Knitty and that you were accepting independent designers' submissions. When I saw you were asking for designs inspired by one of Knitty's patterns to celebrate Knitty's 15th Anniversary, I liked the idea because many of my designs are inspired by something, for example, nature or fine jewelry pieces. The problem was that I have just discovered Knitty and didn't have the time to get acquainted with it well enough.

After having a look at the designs you were showing in the Submission Calls page, I fell in love with many of them and Xandy Peters' Ribbon Candy scarf was my favorite one. I was absolutely charmed by this joyful and funny design, by its bright colours, its artistic inspiration, its ornament that reminded me ancient Greek decor motifs. Ελλάδα (Ellada) is the ancient name for Greece and what the Greek people call their country. That's why I decided to call this cowl “Funny Ellada”. As soon as I saw Xandy's scarf I knew what to do. The idea was born. It took me some time and as it's usually the case, I met some difficulties, made some changes but finally I'm ready to present it to you.

The technique is completely different, the ornament's shape is slightly different too. I decided to knit a kind of a cowl instead of a scarf, but it's thanks to Xandy and Knitty that it exists.

model: Eléna Leprêtre

SIZE

One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Width: 6 inches/15 cm
Length: 18 inches/45 cm

MATERIALS

[MC] 3 Suisse Messagère [100% Courtelle acrylic; 118m per 50g skein]; color: Violet; #09 1 skein
[CC1] Textiles De La Marque Première [100% acrylic; 130m per 50g skein]; color: Orange; #210 1 skein
[CC2] Textiles De La Marque Première [100% acrylic; 130m per 50g skein]; color: Mauve; #008 1 skein

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
US #4/3.5 mm needles for working flat

Notions
yarn needle
US 4/E crochet hook/3.5 mm (optional)

GAUGE

[MC] 19 sts/28 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette stitch
[CC] 23 sts/30 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette stitch

PATTERN NOTES

[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

The item is knitted in Garter stitch with MC, then the ornamental lines are “drawn” using two contrasting colors with knitted or crocheted chains.

Chains can be either crocheted, or worked with one or two knitting needles, as you prefer.

You can work them with a single knitting needle as follows:
Make a slip knot. Hold it at the back of the work, where you are to start. Stick the tip of the needle through the work as indicated, grab the slip knot, and pull it though the front, leaving the tail and working yarn at the back. *To continue, stick the tip of the needle through the work as indicated, wrap the yarn around the needle tip as is for knitting, and pull it through the work and then through the stitch on the needle, as if you are binding off. You might have to help it over by hand! Repeat from *.

DIRECTIONS

With MC cast on 24 sts.

Work 159/80 ridges rows as follows:
Row 1: Sl 1, k to end.
BO.

Work Surface Decoration
Work 6 free-standing crochet chains about 3yds/2.5m long each: 4 in CC1 and 2 in CC2. You will use the surface crochet technique to apply these chains to the surface of the work. You will be crocheting a previously crocheted chain. For clarity, we will refer to these as working chains.

You can create the chains and work the surface crochet with a crochet hook, or one or two knitting needles, as you prefer. Note that you'll need to identify the starting point of these working chains with a double knot, or attach a removable stitch marker.

Consult photos and chain placement chart for a guide on color and placement of the working chains.

You'll always work into the 'valleys' of the garter stitch – that is, the knit rows, between the purl ridges. The vertical steps are worked on top of the downward curving stitches, over the top of the wave of the garter stitch. For some steps you work into the next valley, for other steps you skip one valley and work into the next one after that. When moving horizontally, step over 1.5 stitches at a time. That is, work first time just under the bottom of the wave, and the second time, work over the top of the wave. You will work four times into the five stitches as you step across.

Each row of the chart diagram represents a knit 'valley'; each column represents a stitch. The numbers refer ONLY to the valleys.

FINISHING

Wash and weave in ends. Use the tails from the working chains to tie the cowl on to wear it.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Inspired by nature, Eléna Leprêtre creates realistic 3D crochet flowers, jewelry and accessories. Everything starts when a distant image of a flower crocheted by her talented grandma rises in her memory and gives birth to “Nature aux Fils”. Considering herself a bad crocheter, she invents her own techniques that permit her to obtain the desired result quite easily. Eléna is looking for a creative reuse in everything she sees, tries to innovate and create something unusual and beautiful. Linguist by profession, crafter (knitting has always been her greatest passion through all her life!) and artist in her soul, she crochets and eternalizes her nature and invites you to her universe!

Find her on Ravelry.

Pattern & images © 2017 Eléna Leprêtre.