This shawl was initially designed for the 2019 Miss Babs Book Club.

SPECIAL OFFER - GET ONE FREE! - Add five patterns, including collections/ebooks (each collection/ebook counts as one pattern), from my Ravelry Store in one single transaction and get the least expensive one free.
Please Note that this will not work in conjunction with any other promotion.

Inspired by the book ‘The Dead Travel Fast’ by Deanna Raybourn and the first shawl of the 2019 Miss Babs Book Club, Le Strange is a pretty and romantic, crescent shaped, shawl. The shawl starts with lace right from the very beginning – a gentle undulating pattern that travels into a beaded lace panel which then flows seamlessly into the border.

Le Strange captures the essence of Theodora, a woman before her time; both the woman and the patterning are strong and yet feminine, interesting yet uncomplicated, beautiful yet unfussy and with the shawl worked in a heavy lace weight yarn it is fine yet not flimsy.

Le Strange can be worn anywhere, you don’t have to journey to Transylvania, risk werewolves or vampires for some glorious beaded glamour!

Yarn and Finished Size: Miss Babs Dulcinea (732m/120g) measures 67” (170cm) long and 20” (51cm) deep before blocking, 72” (183cm) wide and 21” (53cm) deep after. These figures are a guide only and the overall size will depend on your exact tension and blocking. Le Strange can be achieved from one skein of Miss Babs Dulcinea or one skein of Miss Babs Yearning. Here are the percentages of yarn usage for the charts working the pattern as written: - Charts 1 & 2 - 28%, Chart 3 - 9%, Chart 4 – 27.5%, Chart 5 – 29.5% and Bind Off - 7%.
Needles: 3.5mm (US4), 3.75mm (US5) and 4mm (US6) needles though it is better to use a needle that produces a fabric you are happy with and needle size will depend on the yarn used. You will want good drape and should therefore use a larger needle than if you were knitting a garment. A change in needle size may affect your yardage requirements.
You will also need: Stitch Markers, Needle, Blocking Pins, 1mm cro-tat hook (or 0.75 crochet hook for applying beads) and just under 750 Miyuki size 6 seed beads when worked as written.
Gauge : 20sts to 4inches before blocking, 16.5sts to 4inches after on main body pattern using size 3.5mm (US4) needles. Gauge is not critical and any yarn is suitable for this pattern though needle size and yardage requirements will vary.

IMPORTANT: It is possible to work this pattern in almost any heavy lace weight yarn of 600m/100g (avoid the alpaca-based yarns so your block will be sharp). Should you use an alternative yarn such as Natural Born Dyers Lorbanery, Lichtfaden Meridian, Posh Yarns Robynn Heavy Lace, at 600m/100g you may require more than one skein unless you work fewer repeats of Chart Two, I would suggest working eleven repeats of Chart 2 but this is given as a guide only.

The pattern is both fully written and charted with bead placement clearly indicated throughout.

You will find it useful to print your pattern on a colour printer, however coloured pencils could be used to highlight aspects of the pattern and bead placement.

If you like my designs please join us in the Boo Group where you will find a place to discuss my patterns, show off your knitting and hear about KALs and MKALs.

Patterns already set up by KnitCompanion can be purchased, in the KnitCompanion Store, for knitters who like to use this facility but prefer to have their charts already set up.