This shawl is a collection of condradictions. It is at once both elegant and tatterdemallion; old-fashioned, yet modern; rustic, but refined. It started out as a simple project to take on a journey, but it turned into - for me - a sort of reminder of my own journey of knitting.

I learned to knit on a day in October. I was eleven years old. I remember sitting on the bed, armed with yarn, needles, and instructions; absorbed, intent, confused but determined. After successfully casting on and knitting the first row, I turned to the section entitled “increases” to find out how to make my piece bigger (it finally dawned on me that you made it bigger by knitting another row. And another, and another…) Purling was an obscure and meaningless term to me; consequently, everything I knit for years was in garter stitch, for which I have, however, retained a fond affection.

This shawl is largely based on garter stitch and carefully calculated increases - a sort of tribute to, and certainly a reminder of, that October afternoon. A simple braid climbs up the center back, and the lace edging adds just a touch of delicacy to the sturdy wool. The pattern can be easily adjusted - yardage differing, of course - to make the shawl larger or smaller if desired.

This shawl is thick and warm without being bulky or weighty; large enough to wrap around you but small enough you don’t drown in it. Knit in Brown Heather and designed to use only one skein of yarn, go carefully - I had less than a yard left at the end!

This pattern is for personal use only.