I was recently feeling the need to knit something substantial that would wrap around me and then some. I wanted an easy, satisfying knit; something that was interesting but easily memorised and didn’t require too much attention to the instructions and charts. This shawl is just the thing for comfort knitting: it begins with a top down garter tab cast on, and then grows from plain stockinette stitch to a dual-coloured open stitch, ending with a super-simple lace border.

The sample shawl is generously sized at 62 inches (182 cm) across and 33 inches (83 cm) deep, requiring the following yarn quantities:

Main Colour: Artesano Alpaca, Inca Cloud 100% Alpaca, 131 yards (120 m) per 50g ball.
4.23oz (120g) 312 yards (286 m) used.
Contrast Colour: Kona Superwash 100% Merino, 70 yards/oz (228m/50g)
8.1oz (231g) 560 yards (512 m) used.

The pattern includes instruction to easily increase or decrease the size. The smallest size requires approximately half the quantities listed above.
Note: The two yarns used here are are not exactly the same thickness: the merino is slightly thicker and has less halo than the alpaca. Neither yarn is readily available now, but any fingering or 4 ply weight yarn can be substituted.

Tech edited by R. Deborah Overath.