Peace Silk Beret and Cowl to Knit Knitting Pattern Download

While researching and writing about ethically harvested Peace Silk, Julie Turjoman's curiosity about the fiber led her to seek out a variety of skeins to sample. Having designed with silk yarn in the past, she knew that it could be both smooth and pleasurably soft as it slid through her fingers onto the needles or rough and easily split, leaving her fingers covered with both dye and tiny abrasions. Thankfully, Muga silk from Vijay Fibers falls into the first category; from start to finish it is a tactile delight.

A very slight haze on the yarn surface keeps its multiple plies from raveling, making it glide easily from needle to needle with no concern about splitting. And although Peace Silk must be spun from thousands of shorter filaments (rather than reeled from a single long thread), her skeins had a tensile strength that never showed signs of breakage. The finished beret and cowl have a luxurious hand that contrasts surprisingly with the sturdy toughness of the fiber itself. In addition, because the silk takes dye well, with depth and subtlety, it never bled onto her fingers, and very little dye showed up in the warm-water bath before blocking. The semisolid palette adds dimension and character to these knitted projects but never distracts from the stitch textures.

Although Julie suspected that the hazy surface of Muga silk might diminish the visibility of her chosen lace and stitch textures, that concern proved unfounded. The beret and cowl are as lacy as she could hope for, with a slouchy grace and a delicious softness next to the skin. The satisfaction of knowing that the silkworm pupae were allowed to complete their life cycles was a bonus. Although the production of Peace Silk makes it more expensive than yarn from traditional sericulture, the fiber that results from this method is exceptional.

Materials needed for the beret:

• Vijay Fibers Muga Etude, 100% Muga silk yarn, worsted weight, 274 yards (250.5 m)/100 gram (3.5 oz) skein, 1 skein of Country Garden; www.yarningforewe.net
• Needles, circular 16 inches (40 cm) and set of 4 or 5 double pointed size 7 (4.5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Sewing needle (optional)
• Fine elastic thread (optional)
• Decorative button, 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter or other embellishment (optional)

Finished sizes: 19 (21) inches (48.3 [53.3] cm) band circumference, blocked
Gauge: 19 sts and 24 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in seed st, blocked; 18 sts and 24 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in Lace patt, blocked

Materials needed for the cowl:

• Vijay Fibers Muga Etude, 100% Muga silk yarn, worsted weight, 274 yards (250.5 m)/100 gram (3.5 oz) skein, 1 skein of Country Garden; www.yarningforewe.net
• Needles, circular 16–24 inches (40–61 cm) size 7 (4.5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch marker
• Tapestry needle

Finished sizes: 29 inches (73.7 cm) in circumference and 9 inches (22.9 cm) deep, blocked
Gauge: 18 sts and 24 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in Lace patt, blocked