The Leicester cowl was designed with the white neck ruffs of the 16th century in mind. My version is a little more understated, of course, hanging light and loose and lacy for a thoroughly modern interpretation of the Elizabethan look. Directions are given for a picot bind-off that mirrors the picot cast-on, as well as a simple and stretchy garter bind-off. This pattern includes a medium and a large size, but you can easily change the number of horizontal repeats for a tighter or looser look. Likewise, the number of vertical repeats can be altered to produce a taller or shorter cowl. If you follow the directions as given, you can squeeze two cowls out of a single 100g skein of sock yarn, making this a great pattern for holiday gift knitting.

Pattern includes written directions for lace, as well as a chart.