Three short row shawls inspired by Venetian architecture making use of cabled, lace, and textured motifs.

Now available! Four patterns.

All cowls published by Liz Abinante until 2014. Bundled together at a significantly reduced price!

The Fünke Socks Collection is finally complete! I’m happy to debut the final pattern in a series of three, Lindsay. Tobias, Maeby, and Lindsay are available for purchase individually for $5 each, or as a set for $12.

Collection of the 5 patterns available in The Great Cowl KAL. This collection includes:

The 58-page Collection contains 4 patterns and one chapter on general customizations. The four patterns include: Traveling Woman (11 sizes, 5 yarn weights), Traveling Scarf (2 sizes, 2 yarn weights), Traveling Socks (2 yarn weights, 3 sizes each), and Traveling Cowl (2 yarn weights, 2 sizes each. Each pattern includes the information listed above.

December 2020 update

ribbing transitions into colorwork with this simple unisex hat. great for using scraps and an easy introduction to stranded colorwork with some longer floats.

Both the scarf and cowl are knit in the round and feature a reversible stitch motif. The scarf includes edge stitches, which are later dropped and cut open to create fringe. If you’re not a fan of fringe, you can work the scarf flat back-and-forth, but you will need to ad- just the stitch motif for right side/wrong side knitting.

This is a sock I think Coraline would wear. She’s a resourceful girl who isn’t afraid of adventures. She’s smart, witty, and brave. If Coraline were a knitter, I think she’d definitely find uses for all of her scrap yarn and make something more beautiful than this.

I am a voracious reader. When I think of heroines, I think of my favorite books. This shawl is named for the world Illona Andrews brings to life in her Kate Daniels books: ever changing, unexpected, bold, non-traditional, and sassy as hell. If you were the kind of gal who rooted for Buffy, you’ll love Kate.

Crashing waves, sandy beaches, and Irish folkore regarding both of those elements inspired this complex cabled cowl. From kelpies to the merrow, Irish oceanic folklore is utterly terrifying, not unlike these cables at first glance. It seems only fitting that the yarn for this ocean folklore inspired cowl be from an Irish lass.

This quick and easy basketweave cowl can be knit in nearly any yarn weight, and is suitable for beginning knitters. This cowl reminds me of my days spent weav- ing and continuously reminds me of my forgotten hobby. Worked in the round, the reversible stitch is easy to mem- orize or adapt to other yarn weights. Instructions are also given for an...

Queen Anne is one of those women that I always knew about, but didn’t know about. Turns out she was a pretty bad ass lady. During her imprisonment, she never stopped plotting: whether it was escape, a coup, or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, she was always at it. The stitch motif used in this shawl is reminiscent of the bars tha...

I originally designed this pattern for the Woolgirl sock club back in 2010 and got distracted by shawls before I ever released it. The pattern has been completely revisited and improved somewhat to more easily convey the zig zag motif.

Originally designed for the Woolgirl sock club, The Sock Thief is a fun, easy ribbed lace sock that comes in fingering and DK weight. Written in a table format, it’s easy to keep the pattern straight so you remember which size you’re knitting.

Poor Neely. She had all the talent in the world in Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls and she ended up getting addicted to pills. It’s a story we’re all familiar with now: rising young star gets ad- dicted to toxic substance and destroys her career in the process. But, like Judy Garland, Neely will always hold a soft spot in my heart as on...

I have a love/hate relationship with beads, and I decided there had to be a way to use beads as a mild accent, with an option to add more, that wouldn’t make your neck freeze. Here it is: a shawl with beads on the emphasized edging, and that’s it. The light, breezy stitch motif is perfect for summer knitting, and is easily worked without beads.

Voussoir Shawl is modeled after the wedge-shaped bricks that fill in the gaps in archways left behind by regular, lesser bricks. The smocked cable motif stacks rows of stitches in a similar fashion, creating miniature archways of cabled stitches. Paired with ribbing, this scarf has no proper top or bottom.

Honeycomb cables and textures come together with bright, vibrant yarn to make a cowl that is just as emblematic of spring as the flowers and buzzing bees enjoying them.

#ERROR ALERT!!!

Lancet Shawl is modeled after the Gothic lancet arches favored by Venetians, with the elaborate points of mimicking the dramatic arches in buildings across the canals. One of three in a series, the Lancet Shawl uses lace weight to emphasize the openwork lace motif.

Scarf + cowl = scowl. I really like infinity cowls, and I also love unnecessarily long scarves. Who says you can’t have both? Knit flat, this scarf features optional buttons, allowing it to be wrapped up and worn as a cowl. This clever little project incorporates textured motifs to bring out the tonal colors in semi-solid yarns without obscurin...

Overzied puffy coats are a new thing for me. I’ve never had to bother zipping a coat all the way up to my nose. I’ve also never had to deal with my nose leaking, and then freezing on my face. Solution? A super tall, super warm, super quick cowl that stands up on its own. This cowl is perpetually, persistently, unnecessarily warm.

Knitting in the round makes me really happy, and I love cowls. The short rows add a little spice–and shape–to an otherwise simple pattern. Because it is worked in stockinette and garter stitch, this pattern is great at showing off hand painted or variegated yarns. The easy in-the-round construction makes it easy to adapt in different yarn weigh...

When I was younger, Alice in Wonderland was one of my favorite stories. I obsessively read the novel and begged my mother to decorate my room in an Alice motif (she did, which resulted in endless nightmares about falling down rabbit holes and becoming sick from magical cookies).

Originally the kick off pattern of The Great Cowl KAL 2012, Flurries Cowl led the charge as many crazed knitters attempted to complete 5 patterns in 50 days. Flurries Cowl is free to download.

I like to think I’m not a selfish knitter, but sometimes I kind of am. I spend more time designing and working up samples for patterns that I have very little time left to knit. People often expect hand knit gifts as a result of my constant needle working, and I get a wee bit stressed come holiday times. My solution? Quick, easy, unisex gift kn...

Saroyan was the third pattern in a series inspired by the television show Bones. The shawl was such a big hit that when a Raveler posted modifications for a double leaf version, I compiled it into a pattern and published it with her permission. Previous patterns in the Bones series include Traveling Woman and Temperance.

Snow White’s dress was the height of fashion during the Disney heyday of my childhood. But now that I’m older, I think her ensemble needs a bit of an upgrade. A little bit of feminine lace, with a flattering v-neck that suits many styles, this simple cardigan adds some chic to even the most medieval of wardrobes. This charming, dead simple lace...

I adore this pattern. It makes me so happy. It takes a super complex cable motif and makes it the center of attention on a very simply constructed cowl.

I’ve never been big on hats – but I think I finally found something that works for me. The baggy stop of the hat makes it easy for me to tuck my large amounts of curly hair underneath it without too much squishing. It also makes it a bit more stylish, in addition to being a warm and cozy transitional cap.

Ariel was always one of my favorite Disney characters–she was a ginger, after all. This shawl is inspired by another mermaid, though. The mermaid from the original Hans Christian Andersen tale was more like your typical fairy tale damsel than Ariel ever was and I found her adventure for love to be more sincere than Ariel’s. She slept on a pillo...

When Didi tasked me with designing a scarf for her Shoggoth shipment of The Yarn Club of Unspeakable Horror, she said to me “do whatever you want, just make sure it has a million eyes.” While slightly less creepy than one million real eyes staring back at you, One Million Eye(let)s scarf does not have exactly one million eye(let)s, but it’s pre...

My Renaissance is one of those designs that I thought I’d never finish. It sat around in my brain and my sketchbook, teasing me, for months. I’ve been experimenting with shawl spines and asymmetry in an attempt to design something new, something quirky, something a little bit different. When I started swatching for My Renaissance, I knew it was...

I always find myself buying beautiful yarn and absolutely nothing to knit with it. It is especially difficult for me to find a pattern for yarn that is extremely variegated or bright. I set out on a mission to design something simple to work, but not mind numbingly dull, with accents that would suit almost any yarn you choose.

Sometimes I’m not really sure how pattern ideas find their way into my head. They just kind of show up there with no explanation for their presence. This happened with Traveling Woman and Saroyan, and it has happened once again. I am pleased to present Luna’s Shawl.

The Traveling Scarf is my favorite of the Traveling Woman Collection. It includes instructions for a scarf in fingering weight and a stole in worsted weight. Don’t be afraid to branch out, though. I’ve included tables for additional yarn weights and sizes.

This cuff down pattern transitions from eyelets to the main Traveling Woman lace chart across the leg. The final edge chart spans the toe, with some sizes working the edge chart during the toe decreases. Separate sets of instructions, charts, and written lace are included for each size and yarn weight. The sock utilizes a heel flap and wedge to...

I have a secret love for cowls: they combine knitting the round, miles of stockinette, and warm, cozy comfort into one fantastically quick project.

Lindsay is my favorite Fünke. While Tobias has some of the best lines, Lindsay has some gems (usually related to her weight, her mother’s age, or alcohol). I took my time selecting a stitch pattern for Lindsay. I wanted something sophisticated (since she’s so into fashion), feminine (since she’s played by the flawless Portia di Rossi), and simp...

This is the fourth pattern in a series inspired by characters on the television show Bones. Previous patterns include: Traveling Woman, Saroyan, and Temperance.

When it came time to knit the sample sock for this pattern, I emailed a friend and asked her “What color should I knit a sock that’s named after Tobias on Arrested Development?” And she emailed me back, “Would it be too obvious to suggest blue?”

I had a dream I was wearing these spiral socks, and that they were lovely to knit and even more wonderful to wear. (I’m not a crazy person, I don’t normally dream about socks.) Named after my friend Eunice, these socks are sunny, fun, and a little bit odd.

Inspired by the recent interest in Alice in Wonderland, Hatter’s Party Scarf is fit for a very important date!

Raglan-style increases shape a shawl that rests perfectly on your shoulders for ease of wear. Eyelets break up the stocking stitch before beginning a geometric lace design. The geometric lace pattern was inspired by the architecture of the sprawling manner in Citizen Kane.

Even though I would consider myself a fairly advanced knitter, I love nothing more than a simple garter stitch project with endlessly stunning results. That’s where Objects in Space comes in. Use one or two skeins of a luxury blend in almost any weight and you can produce a delicious scarf (or shawl) that drapes across your shoulders and neck i...

Saroyan is the third pattern in a series inspired by the television show Bones. Previous patterns include Traveling Woman and Temperance.

Errata: paid version, Chart B, row 11: the yarn overs are off and don’t align correctly. The written instructions for this row are correct.

The color of this yarn is named after a particular type of lava flow found in Hawaii. Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, volcanoes, and dance. It seems only fitting that name of this sock pattern would have similar origins.

I am a mass consumer when it comes to popular culture. I love taking it in, critiquing it, and, well, mocking it endlessly. Rock of Love Bus, anyone?

A sock pattern inspired by Maeby Fünke of Arrested Development fame, and designed specially with brightly variegated yarns in mind. The delightful mix of increases and decreases gives you the look of mock cables, without all of the extra work. Not too many holes, so it keeps your feet nice and cozy.

I really like watching Bones. I think it’s a great show, and I love the cast. Temperance “Bones” Brennan is hilarious, and I love her personal sense of style. The weird chunky necklaces, the bold understated colors… the people who pick out her clothes are doing a great job if you ask me.