I can tell you what a stove eye is. On a woodburning cook stove, the top has round cast iron "eyes" that would correlate with the black part of the pattern. They can be removed to get a more direct, and thus hotter fire, under your pot. Some fancy ones have several sizes of eyes, but generally they are 6" diameter. I've done a little cooking on a wood stove. Just thank God for gas and electric stoves. Trust me. :?