Yarnitecture, by Jillian Moreno (Storey Publishing, 2016), guides you through spinning and knitting with custom yarn. Use patterns from leading knitwear designer to create your own knitted wonders and rely on Moreno’s expertise in choosing which textures and colors to use. This shawl will keep you warm in a chilly room and add a touch of spring with its flower embroidery.
I do a lot of my work at my public library, and in the winter there is a bit of a breeze that flows through the spot I like best. This is my favorite shawl to wear at the library. The quarter-moon shape and the weight of the fiber and gauge help it stay on my shoulders without slipping, and the bit of flowered embroidery brings a little spring to my winter work.
Finished Measurements
81 inch long × 18 inch at its widest point
Fiber
Sweet Georgia Yarns, Bluefaced Leicester top, 10 oz, Ultraviolet (MC)
Sweet Georgia Yarns, 50% Merino/50% silk top, 1/2 oz each in the following colors: Glacier (CA), Raspberry (CB), Dutch (CC), Melon (CD), Basil (CE), and Wisteria (CF)
Yarn Description
MC: 2-ply; 600 ypp; 8–9 wpi; woolen draft; soak and snap finishing
CC: 2-ply; 775 ypp; 12 wpi; woolen draft; soak and snap finishing
Yarn Amount
(Note: These fiber amounts do not include fiber for sampling or swatching)
Ultraviolet (MC): 365 yds
25 yards for each of the following:
• Glacier (CA)
• Raspberry (CB)
• Dutch (CC)
• Melon (CD)
• Basil (CE)
• Wisteria (CF)
Gauge
12 stitches and 18 rows = 4 inch × 4 inch in stockinette stitch, after blocking
Needles
One US 7 (4.5 millimeter) circular needle, 32 inch or longer, or size needed to obtain correct gauge
Other Supplies
Spinning Notes
I spun the embroidery yarns woolen and plied each to balance, looser than you might think you want for stitching. I did it this way because I want my stitches to spread softly on the knitted surface.
Pattern Stitch
Moss Stitch (worked flat on an even number of stitches)
Row 1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2: *P1, k1; repeat from * to end of row.
Knitting The Shawl
Setup: Using MC, cast on 244 stitches. Do not join; the shawl is worked back and forth in rows. Work Moss Stitch for 4 rows.
Set Up Short Rows
Row 1 (RS): K127, turn.
Row 2 (WS): P10, turn.
You now have two obvious gaps where you turned. If you wish, place removable markers in the gaps to help you navigate. If you are using markers, remove them before you work the decrease, and then replace them on the right needle before you turn at the end of a row.
Shape Shawl Body
Row 1: Knit to 1 stitch before gap, ssk, k2, turn work.
Row 2: Purl to 1 stitch before gap, p2tog, p2, turn work.
Repeat these 2 rows until all stitches have been worked, ending with a wrong-side row. (166 stitches)
Work in Moss Stitch for 4 rows. Bind off.
Finishing
Wet-block the shawl to the finished measurements. Weave in ends. Embroider flower motif as shown in photo above or in your own design.
Excerpted from © by Jillian Moreno, photography courtesy of Jillian Moreno, and John Polak, used with permission from Storey Publishing.
