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Diffracted is a lightweight square shawl made to showcase 5 colorways using a combination of brioche, stockinette and garter stitch, whilst never having to handle more than two colors at a time.
It starts as a rectangle knitted in the round. Then, two sides are worked flat to ‘squarify’ the shawl. A brioche border is then knitted in the round to finish.
The pattern includes instructions and schematics on how to use 2 circular needles in order to not have to move 300 stitches on and off a piece of scrap yarn.

Finished size: 110 cm (43”) by 110cm (43”)

Gauge: 20sts x 28 rows per 10cm (4”) in stockinette stitch after blocking.

Supplies:
- a total of 1075m (1176 yards) of lace weight yarn in five different colors:
--- 225m (246yards) in color 1, color 2, color 3 and color 4
--- 175m (192 yards) in color 5

• TWO 4mm (US 6) circular needles (or size to hit gauge) - preferably with at least one of them being 100cm or longer. The pattern is doable with only one circular needle but in that case you will have to slip 300+ stitches on and off a piece of scrap yarn. And later again 200+ stitches – which is, again, doable, but not the most enjoyable activity for a lot of knitters. The pattern goes into details (including schematics) to explain how to use two circular needles to NOT have to slip a huge number of stitches on and off a piece of scrap yarn – in effect, you’ll have to slip about 200 stitches from one needle to another, only one time – which again, is not the funniest thing in the world, but it’s admittedly… the ‘less worse’ option here. Or you could go completely overboard if your supplies allow and use 4 circular needles (one per side of the square) and have a grand total of 0 sts to slip :)
• a 5mm (US 8) needle (or a needle that’s 1mm bigger than the size to hit the gauge). This one will only be used for the bind-off and can be a straight needle.
• 2 stitch markers A (mA) and 2 stitch markers B (mB)
• a darning needle to weave in the ends
• blocking mats and pins/wires for blocking
• if you want to use Emily Ocker’s cast on: a 4mm (G) crochet hook

Difficulty: Intermediate

Abbreviations/techniques used:
k: knit
p: purl
st(s): stitch(es)
yo(s): yarn over(s)
pmX: place marker X
smX: slip marker X
kfb: knit the stitch through the front AND the back loop (=1 st increased)
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together (=1 st decreased)
sl1yo: bring the yarn under the needle to the front of your work (if it isn’t in the front of your work already), slip the next st purlwise, bring the yarn over the needle (and over the slipped st) to the back of your work.
brk (brioche knit): knit the st that was slipped in the previous row together with its yarn over.
brp (brioche purl): purl the st that was slipped in the previous row together with its yarn over.
sl1pwyf: slip 1 st purlwise with the yarn in front
sl1pwyb: slip 1 st purlwise with the yarn in the back