The inspiration for this shawl came in the strangest way I’ve ever experienced. I dreamed I was lost in a blizzard so thick I could barely make out the ghostly shapes of trees and hills around me. Suddenly a little girl with a round face, steely eyes, and pigtail braids peeking out from under her pointed red cap materialized from the swirling snow and wrapped a downy grey shawl around my shoulders. The oversized wrap, plumped up with a medley of intricate textures and pleasantly weighted with a scattering of twinkly beads, seemed to melt the cold away as if enchanted. When I woke, I knew I had to knit this mysterious vision for myself, and almost immediately named it “Bombogenesis”- a winter storm that intensifies rapidly.

Bombogenesis is an asymmetrical triangle shawl knitted in nineteen sections of five stitch patterns: waffle stitch, brioche rib, beaded quilt stitch, cables, and staggered eyelets. Each section is separated by a garter stitch transition, and each garter stitch transition includes a row of increases or decreases to adjust the stitch count for the next stitch pattern. All sections, except for brioche rib sections and garter stitch transitions, include both charted and written instructions.

The suggested gauge is 24 sts = 4” in stockinette stitch. However, since the stitch patterns vary so widely and the finished shawl will be blocked to the appropriate size and shape, gauge is not essential. I recommend a single ply, fingering weight merino wool in a tonal colorway for the most graceful drape and to allow the textures to shine! Select coordinating beads to add subtle sparkle, as I’ve done, or use them to add a pop of color. You will also needle a steel crochet hook to insert the beads and a cable needle.