Dr. Tam's Shawl by Kate Atherley

Dr. Tam's Shawl

Knitting
May 2020
Sport (12 wpi) ?
22 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches
in garter stitch, after blocking
US 7 - 4.5 mm
328 yards (300 m)
One - adjustable to available yardage
English
This pattern is available for $7.50 USD buy it now

A long and narrow triangle, worked sideways, with a single skein of yarn.

It was originally designed to use a Very Special colourway dyed by the Indigodragonfly team, inspired by an image from a microscope of the COVID-19 virus. One of my favourite edging patterns is a Shetland classic, called Droplets. Given how the virus spreads, it seemed like an obvious choice. I played with the Droplets pattern, creating smaller and larger versions, to allow the Droplets to spread – an epideminology message in knitting form. And because I enjoy fun little details, there’s 19 rows between Droplet Motifs.

This design lets you maximize your yarn, making it ideal for using up a special (or just lonely) single skein from your stash. The motifs are charted and written out, and it’s suitable for knitters with a little bit of lace experience, or new lace knitters with sense of adventure.

I worked it with sportweight, making it a bit faster than the usual one-skein project, but this would work just as well with fingering – or any other yarn you might have at home. I’ve included notes on how to adjust for other yardages.

I’ve named it after Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer. She is a physician with expertise in immunization, infectious disease and emergency preparedness, and she has shown incredible leadership and fortitude during the COVID-19 pandemic.