** This pattern has been retired and is no longer available for. **

Named for the ancient Irish festival celebrating the Summer Solstice, the Litha Shawl is designed to embrace the life-giving power of the Sun on the longest day of the year. Summer Solstice is a time of celebration, a time of release from the long, dark days of winter and into the regenerative growth of summer. The Litha Shawl celebrates that transition, and is ideal for that cherished skein of long-gradient yarn in your stash (or that you’ve been admiring from your favorite dyer, but have been wondering what to make with it!). An asymmetrical triangle, it transitions from a narrow end to a wide end to represent the move from days of little daylight to the long days of Summer Solstice. At the same time, it also utilizes repetitive lace motifs to represent a starfield redolent with stars at the narrow end when winter’s night casts the stars aglow against a field of black, to a radiant sunburst of color at the wide end, where the Sun’s rays peek above the bind-off edge to symbolize the glory of light breaking over a Summer Solstice horizon.

Materials
Yarn
100 grams (approximately 400+ yds) fingering weight yarn

Yarn used in photos:
Twisted Fae Fibreworks fingering weight yarn – 80% superwash merino, 20% nylon 4-ply in Solstice Sunset colorway (420 yards/380 meters)

Needles
US 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles (32” or longer), or size needed to obtain gauge.

Notions
1 tapestry needle

Optional: stitch markers and locking stitch markers to mark lace repeats or certain stitches if desired, but not necessary

Gauge & Notes
27 stitches & 40 rows = 4” in Stockinette

Shawl is worked flat, with lacework on all right-side rows, and all wrong-side rows purled back for rest rows. Pattern features lacework, eyelets, knits and purls, increases and decreases. Instructions are written, with a column for checking off each row as you go to facilitate ease to follow.

Finished size: 57” wingspan x 25” deep (blocked firmly)