Berroco Eirian Cape Knitting Pattern

Berroco Eirian Capelet: Seamless Lace Knit Pattern

What Is Being Made

The Eirian is a sophisticated capelet designed by Alison Green, featured in Berroco Book #414. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a versatile layering piece with a lower edge measuring between 43½ and 68½ inches (depending on size) and a consistent 14-inch length across all five available sizes. The capelet features a fitted neckline ranging from 22¼ to 27½ inches, making it suitable for various body types with recommended positive ease of 2–4 inches.

Techniques Used

The Eirian capelet is constructed using several advanced knitting techniques that create both visual interest and structural integrity:

• Seamless, worked in the round: The entire capelet is knitted in continuous rounds using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish.
• Bottom-up construction: The garment is worked from the lower edge upward toward the neckline, allowing knitters to try on the piece as it progresses and easily adjust length if needed.
• Lace patterning: Charted lace motifs are integrated throughout the design, creating openwork sections that add elegance and visual dimension to the capelet.
• Decreasing shaping: Strategic decreases are incorporated to transition from the wider lower edge to the fitted neckline, with stitch markers placed to guide decreases in specific sections.

Stitches Used

The Eirian pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches combined in a structured approach:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): Used for solid sections between lace pattern repeats, providing a smooth, classic fabric base.
• Charted lace pattern: A 14-stitch repeat pattern worked from a provided chart, repeated multiple times around the circumference (14 to 22 times depending on size). The chart is worked in 6-round repeats, completed five times during the initial pattern section.
• Purl rounds: A single purl round is worked immediately after the cast-on edge, creating a finished edge detail.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

Yarn: Berroco Cambria, a 50-gram yarn, is the specified fiber for this project. The yardage requirement varies by size, requiring between 3 and 5 hanks in the colorway #7902 Snowdrop (a light, neutral shade). Berroco Cambria is recommended for optimal results and accurate gauge.

Needles: The pattern requires two circular needles in size 6 (4.00 mm)—one 36-inch needle for the initial cast-on and early rounds, and one 16-inch needle for later rounds when stitch counts decrease. Using the correct needle size is essential to achieve the specified gauge of 18 stitches and 26 rows per 4 inches in stockinette stitch and charted pattern.

Notions: Eight stitch markers are needed throughout construction, with one marker in a contrasting color to clearly identify the beginning of each round. These markers are placed at specific intervals to guide the lace pattern repeats and the four stockinette stitch sections that separate the patterned sections.

Pattern Structure and Construction Details

The Eirian begins with a cast-on of 196 to 308 stitches depending on size, joined for working in the round. After the initial purl round, knitters work the 14-stitch lace pattern repeat 14 to 22 times around the circumference. The pattern is worked in 6-round chart repeats, with the complete chart repeated five times before shaping begins. At the 7-inch mark, strategic marker placement divides the stitches into four sections: two sections of 14 stitches worked in lace pattern and two sections of 28 to 70 stitches worked in stockinette stitch, depending on the chosen size. This structured approach allows for controlled decreasing as the capelet tapers toward the neckline.