Silk Cabled Shell

Design by Kennita Tully

A dramatic cable and wide ribs highlight a classic shell. Wear it everywhere, from casual to elegant affairs.

Sizes
Woman’s small (medium, large, extra-large) Instructions are given for smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses. When only 1 number is given, it applies to all sizes.

Finished Measurements
Chest: 36 (40, 44, 48) inches
Length: 20 (21, 22, 23) inches

Materials

• Brown Sheep Prairie Silks 72 percent wool/18 percent mohair/10 percent silk worsted weight yarn (88 yds/50g per skein): 7 (8, 9, 10) skeins dough #PS100
• Size 8 (5mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge
• Cable needle
• Stitch markers
• Size G/6 (4mm) crochet hook

Gauge
18 sts and 20 rows = 4 inches/10cm in rib pat
To save time, take time to check gauge.

Special Abbreviations
BC (Back Cross): Sl 1 st to cn and hold in back, k2, k2 from cn.
FC (Front Cross): Sl 2 sts to cn and hold in front, k2, k2 from cn.

Pattern Stitch
Staghorn Cable (panel of 16 sts)
Rows 1, 3 and 5 (WS): Purl.
Row 2: K4, BC, FC, k4.
Row 4: K2, BC, k4, FC, k2.
Row 6: BC, k8, FC.
Rep Rows 1–6 for pat.

Pattern Notes
All dec for underarm and neck shaping are worked 1 st in from each edge.
First and last 2 sts at armhole and neck edge are kept in St st to ease later working of crochet trim.

Back
Cast on 82 (90, 98, 106) sts.
Set up pat (WS): P4, [k2, p2] 1 (2, 3, 4) times, k2, p3, k2, [p4, k2] 3 times, pm, work Staghorn Cable pat over next 16 sts, pm, [k2, p4] 3 times, k2, p3, k2, [p2, k2] 1 (2, 3, 4) times, p4.
Keeping sts between markers in Staghorn Cable pat, and rem in established rib pat, at the same time work side shaping by dec 1 st each end [every 4th row] 4 times. (74, 82, 94, 98 sts)
Inc 1 st each end [every 8th row] 4 times. (82, 90, 98, 106 sts)
Work even until back measures 11 1/2 (12, 12 1/2, 13) inches, ending with a WS row.

Shape armhole
Bind off 5 (6, 7, 8) sts at beg of next 2 rows. (72, 78, 84, 90 sts)
Dec 1 st each end [every RS row] 6 times. (60, 66, 72, 78 sts)
Work even until armhole measures 71/2 (8, 81/2, 9) inches, ending with a WS row.

Shoulder shaping
Bind off 5 (5, 6, 7) sts at beg of next 4 rows, then 4 (6, 6, 6) sts at beg of following 2 rows.
Bind off rem 32 (34, 36, 38) sts.

Front
Work as for back until armhole measures 5 1/2 (5 3/4, 6, 6 1/2) inches, ending with a WS row.

Shape neck
Work across 22 (25, 28, 31) sts, join 2nd ball of yarn and bind off center 16 sts, work to end of row.
Working on both sides of neck with separate balls of yarn, bind off at each neck edge [2 sts] 2 (2, 3, 3) times.
Dec 1 st at each neck edge [every other row] 4 (5, 4, 5) times. (14, 16, 18, 20 sts)
At the same time, when armhole measures same as for back, work shoulder shaping as for back.

Assembly
Sew shoulder seams.
Sew side seams

Neck Trim
Beg at center back neck and working from left to right, with crochet hook work 1 row sc around entire neckline.
Fasten off.
Rep for armholes, beg at underarm.

Click the above image for a printable pdf format.