9/17/23 Pattern, chart A has been updated. If you are using an earlier download pattern, please re-download the latest version.

1/26/22: Chart C - diamonds border pattern has been updated in both the single pattern and the e-book. Please re-download the update pattern before knitting.

Dreaming of Barèges is a re-creation of a Victorian beauty by Mrs. Jane Gaugain circa 1840. It is an oversize long, wide shawl featuring an open work diamond border topped with a Shetland lace tree insert and an elegant vintage stitch pattern throughout the body. It is a moderately challenging knit with lacework on both sides throughout.

Suitable yarn substitutions would be any mohair and silk combination held together with a lace weight yarn, such as Shibui Silk Cloud with Shibui Cima.

The name of this shawl comes from Barèges France, a small village in the Pyrenees where the wool which was pulled from soft undercoat of goat fleece was spun into a soft and lofty yarn called Pyrenees wool. It was a highly prized yarn that was used throughout Europe in the 1800’s. It was so luxurious that textile manufacturers spun and wove it into a fine sheer cloth for gowns and scarves.

Barèges is a small commune and spa town in the Pyrenees that was built around thermal hot springs. Shepherds were the first known people to use the hot springs and brought their injured sheep to heal in the warm waters. Fun fact: In the 1700’s the Barèges valley was a matriarchal culture where men were “subjected to women - and”served their wives with respect.“ (Wikipedia).

Victorian shawls from this period were typically 2.5 to 3 meters long and worn draped across the back and over the arms or wrapped around the neck, flowing over long dresses, almost to the floor. This pattern is easily customizable to a scarf or smaller shawl size.
The charts and instructions have been transcribed, charted & modernized.