I recently fell in love with lace knitting, but I kept wondering if I was really a “shawl person.” I fawned over lovely traditional lace patterns, but could never find a pattern that I really wanted to wear. I could never achieve that certain je ne sais quoi drape with rectangular stoles, which just ended up bunched around my neck like a scarf. Traditional triangular shawls seemed, well, just too traditional.

So I designed this shawl with an unusual three-quarter square shape to take advantage of the modern style of a stole and the interesting shaping of shawl. The shape is versatile and easy to wear, even if you are draping challenged like myself. Unlike a triangular shawl, the back edge is straight across so it emphasizes your waist instead of your bum.

The pattern is knit from the top down, with a simple lace border knitted onto the bottom edge. Both the main body lace pattern and the border pattern are easily memorized; I knit mine almost entirely while on the bus or while sipping a glass of wine with my knitting group.