Prior to July 2015, this pattern was available as a free download from The Fiber Factor. Skacel is no longer offering this pattern, or any of the other patterns from The Fiber Factor contestants, on Ravelry.

The version of Evolution now for sale on Ravelry has been revised and updated throughout; all known errata have been incorporated into this version.

Did you make Evolution when it was a free download? Would you like a free Ravelry copy? Post a picture of your shawl (complete, or WIP) in my forum and I will gift you a copy of the new pattern on Ravelry.

This heart-shaped shawl follows the evolution of a knitter. It begins with garter stitch, representing that garter-stitch scarf so many of us knitters began with. Then a bit of stockinette, as the beginner knitter learns to purl. Once the basic stitches are mastered, textured patterns like the diamond pattern become possible.

Then, a knitterly friend suggests that cables are “not that hard” -- perhaps the novice knitter would like to try? Another friend encourages the knitter to try a bit of simple lace -- just a few yarn-overs and decreases, after all, and the wrong side rows are all-purl.

Each pattern builds on the last; each pattern is made up of knits and purls, manipulated to form apparent complexity. But, one stitch at a time, all knitting is conquerable. The final stitch pattern combines right-side and wrong-side pattern, cables, twisted stitches, lace, and unusual decreases for a gorgeous exuberance that flares all around the edge of the finished shawl.

Evolution is written with a combination of written directions (for the simpler sections) and charts (for the more complex sections. Full written directions for all charts are included in the pattern. Charts are presented as the right-hand-side of the shawl -- chart users must mirror the charts themselves. The written directions have each row completely written out -- no mirroring required.