Introducing the Princeton Capelet
blue sky fibers eco-cashmere
We have a sample in the shop that is truly elegant in its simplicity and sophistication! It's the Princeton Capelet designed by Sylvia Hager. Sylvia designed it specifically for Blue Sky Fibers Eco-Cashmere. This little gem is perfect for the warmer spring weather that will be here before we know it!Blue Sky Fibers Eco-Cashmere is made of 50% recycled cashmere and 50% virgin cashmere and is from Itay.We suggest making the Princeton Capelet with plenty of room to wear over your clothes! The pattern has a schematic so you can easily choose the width you want to make.This exquisite capelet is easy to knit. Using only stockinette stitch, k2tog and ssk decreases, and a p1, ktbl ribbing, it's a pleasing project for all knitting abilities.The Princeton Capelet is started at the bottom with a decorative ribbing. It then transitions to a mixture of plain stockinette rounds and decrease rounds. The cowl neck is creating by knitting even with no decreases and the piece is finished off with 5 rounds of decorative ribbing.
Substituting yarn
My Sister Knits
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Although the Princeton Capelet is designed specifically for Eco-Cashmere, other yarns can be substituted. Your substituted yarn needs to be chosen carefully though in order to create the same lovely drape and fluidity as the Blue Sky Fibers Eco-Cashmere.There are several things to take into consideration when substituting yarn.To begin with, choose the same weight. Eco-cashmere is a DK, so your replacement needs to be another DK.Check the drape of the new yarn. This garment calls for a yarn that flops over when you hold it up straight in your hand. Experiment with a few brands to see what they do!Find the fiber content. Is it cotton, linen, or animal fiber? If you make this capelet out of cotton, for instance, you will wind up with a heavy garment!Look at the plies. A plied yarn will work up differently than a singles. Eco-cashmere is plied.Notice the twist in the original yarn. Is it tightly spun or loosely spun? Taking the twist into consideration will help replicate the original piece.Now look at your pattern. This one has plain stockinette stitch with no lace, cables, or textured stitches. The beauty of the Princeton Capelet is in it's simplicity and your yarn needs to be gorgeous to show that off. This isn't the piece for speckles!
Gauging how much of the substitute yarn to buy
Get our your calculating device which is usually your phone because now there is a little bit of math involved!Say you want to make your Princeton Capelet out of Dovestone for a more rustic yet still elegant look. A size M/L will suit your needs and that calls for 6 skeins of Eco-Cashmere. Each skein of Eco-Cashmere has 164 yards. Multiply 164 times 6 and you will find that you need 984 yards. Dovestone has 252 yards per skein. Divide 984 by 252 and the answer is 3.9, so you will need 4 skeins! Easy peasy!
Swatch!
Now there is only one thing left to do......make a swatch! This needs to be done no matter what yarn you choose but it's even more important if you've substituted a yarn. You have to know how that yarn is going to behave, how heavy the finished piece might be, and a swatch is the only way to tell.At a minimum make a 4" swatch. A 6" one is better! Be sure to wash it and let it dry. Start with the size 8 needles that the pattern calls for. Once your swatch is dry, count the stitches per inch. If you are right on 17 stitches per 4 inches, you're good to go. More stitches, make another swatch with a larger needle. Fewer stitches, make another swatch with a smaller needle. If you jump right in without swatching, how are you going to know what size you'll end up with?We invite you into My Sister Knits to examine and try on our Princeton Capelet sample, along with any other samples! We will also gladly help you choose yarn to make it with! Happy knitting!