The Arthurian legend is filled to overflowing with characters, plots, intrigue… and confusion. For instance, take the lineage of one of the most loved characters: Sir Lancelot. Was he the son of King Ban or King Pant? Was his father from Benoic or Genewis (or is it spelled Gennewis)? Was his mother Helsin, Clarine (said to be King Arthur’s sister, or perhaps not), Helaine, or Elaine? Did Lancelot’s parents give him to the Lady of the Lake, or did the Lady steal him from them? Or was Lancelot stolen by a fairy to be raised in Maidenland? Confused yet? I don’t know about you, but I certainly am. In choosing a name for this pattern I thought that naming it after Lancelot’s mother would be a simple thing; instead it brought more choices, and more confusion, than one might think. In the end it came to this: I like the name Clarine, so I went with that.

Cowl is worked in the round, and starts with a folded picot hem. The lace design is worked throughout the body of the cowl, then a simple seed stitch is used to prevent curling, and to finish up the final edge. Cowl can be worn with picot edge at the top or the bottom.

Model made with a light fingering yarn held double. It can also be made with a single strand of sport weight yarn using half the yardage.

Finished sizes (circumference x height):
24 x 12 inches
61 x 30.5 cm

Yarn: 260 yards sport weight held single, 520 yards light fingering held double (shown in model).

Skills: k2tog, ssk, YO, s2-k1-p2sso, provisional cast on, knitting in the round.

Notions: 1 stitch marker required (up to 14 additional markers optional), smooth waste yarn in contrasting color, yarn needle.

Stitch patterns: Charted and written.

Difficulty: Easy-intermediate.