8/17/15 Published an update today. Made some changes to Chart D so that the rows of Cat’s Paw lace line up in a more balanced way. Please message me here on Ravelry with any questions about this update.

While you might think that this shawl was named to evoke a political or philosophical ideal, the reality is actually quite different! This shawl is the seventh pattern of my Family of Women series and is a tribute to my lovely and very talented stepdaughter, Justice Rose, an artist and illustrator whose favorite muses are – her cats! Justice’s beloved gray tiger cats, Tally and Christopher, are represented in this shawl through the stripes of cat’s paw lace in different shades of gray with a hint of brown. The roses which are her namesake make up the center column of yellow rose clusters which match the yellow of the cat’s eye lace. The ends of the shawl are bound off with a decorative picot edging (little cat’s ears, anyone?) while the longer edges of the shawl can be blocked as either straight or pointed to accent the cat’s paws (as shown in the photo).

This pattern is designed to be knit with any weight/gauge of yarn and any size needles to whatever measurements you desire. This pattern can be a great stash basher, as you can knit the shawl in just one color or as many colors as you like. The suggested materials and gauge provided in the instructions were used to create the shawl in this photo, which is a smaller shawlette or stole and measures 40” X 15 ½ “. The center column is knit first and then stitches are picked up down its length on both sides and the shawl is worked from the center outward. You can customize the size of your shawl by knitting the center rose cluster column to whatever length you would like your shawl to be, and you can adjust the width by widening or repeating any of the motifs shown in the charts.

This pattern assumes that the knitter has experience working all of the types of stitches in this shawl, particularly yarn overs, and is also comfortable using charts. If you would like additional instruction on how to work any of the stitches, there are excellent instructional videos on www.knittinghelp.com

Please let me know if you have any questions by emailing me here directly on Ravelry. I hope you enjoy making this shawl! Happy knitting!