Meet the Equitus Cowl:

Equitus gets its name from "equity," a multifaceted concept that boils down to a question of fairness: not just "does the system work well?" but "for whom does the system work well?" The answer is almost never "everyone."

In his book How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi writes, "Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing." Laws, rules, guidelines, best practices—in a word, policies—can be racist (causing or perpetuating racial inequity) or antiracist (causing or perpetuating racial equity). "There is no such thing as a non racist or race-neutral policy.”

These policies underly the vast gaps between racial groups in America—gaps that exist from health to education, wealth and opportunity to physical safety. To address them, we must focus on equity before we emphasize equality. We cannot all begin at the same starting line until the systemic barriers to all groups have been remedied. The proceeds of the Equitus Cowl will be donated to organizations fighting for racial equity, like the ones listed here.

Equitus was designed to show off a pretty single skein of fingering yarn, and its geometric motif can handle handle tonals, speckles, gradients, and even some variegation. Its lace arrows pick up momentum as you knit, growing closer together with each passing round, and spaced decreases pull the top in just enough to lay nicely. May it remind you to fight for a world in which all of us can thrive.

Lace is both written and charted, and Equitus has been tech edited and test knit, so you can cast on with confidence.

All the Details:

SIZE 
Top Circumference: 28” / 71 cm
Bottom Circumference: 37” / 94 cm
Height: 14.5” / 37 cm

Measurements taken after firm blocking. Cowl will shrink some with wear.

YARN 
Shown in Lady Dye Yarns CashMerino (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon; 400 yd / 366 m per 100 g / 3.53 oz skein), 1 skein, in Jubilee

To substitute another fingering-weight yarn: approximately 391 yd / 358 m. Pattern includes a note about increasing the size to use more yarn if desired.

NEEDLES 
US 4 / 3.5 mm 16” / 40 cm or 24” / 60 cm circular needles for working in the round, or size needed to obtain gauge

NOTIONS 
1 unique stitch marker (to indicate start of round), 9 additional markers (optional, to mark pattern repeats), tapestry needle

GAUGE 
One 18-stitch repeat of Rnds 19-30 = 3.7” / 9.5 cm wide and 1.5” / 4 cm high after blocking. Gauge is not crucial but will affect yardage used and final dimensions.

TECHNIQUES 
Single and double decreases, yarn overs, knitting in the round. Pattern includes links to more information about required stitches and techniques.

Here’s how testers described knitting Equitus: meaningful, fun, relaxing, delicate, smooth, easy, addictive, balanced, lacy, wearable, striking, inspiring, comforting, calming, unique, intuitive, fast, flowing, satisfying, meditative, easily adaptable, leisurely, meaningful, clear, flexible, intriguing, “enough challenge to keep you paying attention,” and “perfect for that pretty skein you bought, but don’t know what to do with!”

Want to knit Equitus?

Equitus is available for purchase through Ravelry and Payhip on a “pay what you choose” scale. If you are not using Ravelry at the moment, you can include your Ravelry name with your Payhip order and I will gift you a copy of the pattern on Ravelry so it’s waiting for you once the accessibility options are resolved. Questions? Please reach out.

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