As I was playing with the concept for this pullover and trying to come up with a name for the design, I’d been reading a series of historical novels about the Angevin rulers of England (the Empress Matilda, King Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart and King John). Even though she was severely restricted by the values and beliefs of the 12th Century, Eleanor of Aquitaine forged her own path through life; I’ll bet it was with the grudging admiration (and probably envy) of many of the men around her. The richly textured patterning of the cable circling the yoke made me think this might just be a sweater she would wear.