Cat Mad Crochet

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Sometimes my children come to me with a specific garment in mind that I will try to either create or replicate.  This is how I came to the present cowl.  Adia wanted a cowl that would look formal and Victorian, but also resemble the bumpiness of lizard skin.  Challenge accepted.  I channeled my inner Madame Vastra and got started.  

I found a hank (and a bit) of leftover Malabrigo Mechita that was floating around waiting to be used and a 3.75 mm hook.  I used that hook size because I was making a sweater with a similar weight yarn and hook and I liked the way the stitches work with the 3.75 mm hook.  

Yarn note:  Why Mechita?  First because it is Malabrigo and they are my very favorite yarn company.  There’s a lot of their stuff floating around my stash.  Second, it’s soft and fluffy and cheery.  When Adia puts this cowl on, it’s going to be very soft, which will make her happy, and so, in my mind, it will be a gentle, fuzzy shield against the ugliness of the world.  Using yarn as a shield against the evils of life makes me feel like a powerful little fiber enchantress.  I am not merely making a cowl!  I am making a shield of wooly happiness to protect my child.  Take that mean world!  Third, it’s a single ply yarn so the stitches will show nicely, which, since this is a lacy pattern, will show the stitches to their best advantage.  Fourth, it is softly spun so the puff stitches will sort of melt into each other and look more cohesive. 

Now to the stitch pattern.  A while ago, I made a scarf out of the Buds on Stems stitch pattern (Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary by Dora Ohernstein) with one green hank and a whole bunch of mini-skeins. It was like a little flower garden with colors and textures and it made me very happy.  So I made a very large rectangular wrap out of the Buds on Stems pattern, which took me forever and a day because I made it out of lace weight yarn that I cut at the end of every single row because carrying it along the side looked sloppy.  Making it went on for days which became weeks which became months, as did the end weaving, which was horrendous. I think there were about 800 ends, a genuinely a stupid number of ends.  Now I know how I would do that one differently so that it would only have a couple of ends, though I have not taken the time to do it. Each project, a learning experience.

During all of this crochet time, I had thought a lot about this stitch pattern.  I knew from looking at the book (Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary) that I would be able to do a triangular wrap because the edge increase was laid out, but I didn’t want to do a triangular wrap. I wanted to make a cowl in the round.  

Specifically, I wanted to make a cowl that looked like a lizard would wear it.  Not any lizard either.  This is not some “sunning on the rocks lizard” cowl.  This is a proper Victorian lizard’s cowl, inspired by Madame Vastra from Dr. Who.  Buds on Stems was interesting to me for this project because it is textural and a little bit lacy.  Because of the mossy green color of the yarn, the cowl would really look kind of like a lizard neck frill.  In other words, perfect.

I did not see any reason that I could not divide the neck portion into 7 sections (sort of six as the front section is split across the divide because I think it gives better symmetry and I love symmetry), use double crochet increases to set off the divisions between sections, and then treat each section as if I was doing an edge increase.  Edge increases are really easy, as per the book, and my plan works!

I divided the neck portion into 6 (7) sections because each row would be done in double crochets (or at least double crochet height stitches) and I would need to increase by 12 for each row since 12 is the standard increase rate by round for double crochet worked in the round.  If I made each division have two increases, one on each side of the section, they would increase prettily as little wedges because 12 divided by 2 is 6.  6 sections, 2 increases per section, 12 increases per row.  Little numbers math is the best math.  I did NOT increase at the flat edge at the front of the cowl where the opening is.  This is the split section, so the increases are handled only along the wedge side facing toward the rest of the project.  

I used a post stitch, changing from front to back post each round to keep the raised line on one side, to differentiate the sections.  I also think this lends nicely to the lizard look.  Sort of a little ridge, if you will.  I think when I use this stitch pattern in a sweater for Hannah, I will not use the post stitches.  It will be smoother and less lizard-like.  I don’t really think Hannah wants to wear lizard inspired clothing.  

I am super pleased with myself for being able to work out the increase.  There is a slight shift in the look of the stitch pattern but not much.  It definitely looks like it divides into sections, but I am okay with this.  It lends another point of interest to the stitch pattern.  Sometimes preserving the exact look of a stitch pattern is not possible when you add increases.  At that point, you have to find an aesthetic way to make the look of the increase a new part of the design.  

You might make this pattern with more or less repeats (add or subtract from the chain in multiples of six).  You might make it longer and have a capelet.  You might use it as the start of a sweater.  Play with your yarn and see where it takes you.  

If you want to try this design for yourself, grab a hank of fingering weight yarn (I used Malabrigo Mechita) and a 3.75 mm hook (or smaller because I am a tight crocheter).  I’ve included my notes as a PDF at the end of this post, for easier printing and downloading.  This is not a formal pattern.  This is a guide to get your started exploring your own project done to your own specifications.  There are lots of other ways to do increases for this stitch pattern, as well.  Get some nice yarn and play to see what sorts of increases you can come up with.  Very few people are ever the final word on crochet, allow yourself the freedom to play and have fun.  Happy crafting!

Let me know if you give it a try.  I’d love to see pictures of how you use and interpret the increase.