A celebration of friendship …

This shawl is a celebration of knitting friendships and the colour and joy they add to our lives. Last year I was lucky enough to visit my very talented friend Hannah of Circustonic Handmade in Sydney - it was such a joy to be surrounded by all her beautiful yarn.

At the time I was on the hunt for a beautiful yarn with just the right balance to create movement in the lighter version of Corfe Castle (released as part of From Dorset with Love in 2017). When Hannah picked up a skein of Ching Sock I knew I had found the yarn I was searching for. The subtle sheen and stunning drape lends itself perfectly to the movement created by the wedges in this shawl.

This crescent shaped shawl has soothing rows of garter stitch which are punctuated by little eyelets that pop up as the colours shift to create contrasting wedges. This fun design is the perfect canvas for combining your two favourite shades.

The knitting is easy, making it an ideal project for knitting while chatting with friends or relaxing after a long day.

Materials

Circus Tonic Handmade Ching Sock (fingering; 80% Merino, 20% bamboo; 400m / 437yd per 100g skein)
MC: House Swift; 1 x 100g skein
CC: Spotted Bowerbird; 1 x 100g skein

Sample used 92g of MC (368m / 402 yd) and 93g CC (372m / 406yd). If your gauge differs you may find you need more yarn.

3.5mm / US 4 circular needle 80cm / 32in length (or 100cm / 40in length)
3.75mm / US 5 circular needle 80cm / 32in length (or 100cm / 40in length)
4mm / US 6 circular needle 80cm / 32in length (or 100cm / 40in length)
5.5mm / US 9 needle (used for bind-off only)

1 lockable stitch marker
Tapestry needle
Blocking wires and pins

Gauge

Always use the needle size that enables you to match the specified gauge.

22 sts and 33 rows over 10cm / 4in of garter stitch worked flat and blocked, using 4mm / US 6 needles

Due to its properties Garter stitch stretches greatly after blocking. For reference, the unblocked Garter stitch gauge was 24 sts and 50 rows over 10cm / 4in.

Size

One size
Finished size is approximately: 190cm / 74.75in wingspan (tip to tip) by 59cm /23.5in deep.

Thank you

Thank you to my wonderful friend Kate O’Sullivan for these beautiful photographs and my truly magical sample knitter Wendy Cutler for creating magic with this stunning yarn.

A huge thank you to the talented and dedicated test knitters who knitted from a preview copy of this pattern - I value every stitch you knit from one of my designs.