With a striped centre, worked on the bias with short rows, and a pretty Leaf Lace edging, Martina Behm’s Nissolia shawl is a great pattern for all-year-round wear, and fun to knit.

SIZE
Width: 170cm [67in]
Depth: 39cm [15¼in]

YARN
Something to Knit With 4ply (70% highland wool, 30% superfine alpaca; 187m [205yds] per 50g skein)
Yarn A: Storm; 3 x 50g skeins
Yarn B: Cheeks; 1 x 50g skein

NEEDLES AND NOTIONS
1 set 4mm [US 6] circular needles, at least 80cm [32in] long, or needle size required to match tension
Stitch marker
Wires and/or pins, or your preferred kit for blocking lace

TENSION
18 sts and 42 rows to 10cm [4in] over garter stitch
34 sts of the Lace Edging pattern (at chart row 8, the widest point) measures 14cm [5½in]
20 rows of Lace Edging pattern measures 7cm [2¾in]
All tension information is for swatches that have relaxed after washing and blocking.

PATTERN NOTES
The centre of this shawl is worked on the bias in garter stitch stripes. There is no need to break the yarns between stripes. Leave the unused yarn at the RS while you work the other colour. To keep your edge neat, make sure you are consistent in how you pick up the yarn when you change colours – either pick up the new yarn from under the old, or from above, but stick with whichever you choose.
In the first section, the length of the rows being worked is increasing, followed by a second section where the row length remains constant. Throughout the centre of the shawl, stitches are being wrapped and left unworked (a process called short-row shaping). This process is simple to knit and creates an attractive trapezoid shape. Stitches are then cast on and a Leaf Lace edging is worked perpendicular to the centre stitches. This both attaches the edging and effectively casts off the centre stitches, leaving the join both neat and stretchy.
The wrap and turn method is used here to avoid holes, but the wraps are not picked up later on. The wrapped stitches are not knitted until the lace border is attached.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES
Photo tutorials for the following techniques can be found in Something New to Learn About Lace.
Working yarn overs
Reading lace charts
Blocking lace

The following video tutorials may be found on our website at www.acknitwear.co.uk/something-new-to-learn-about-lace
Working yarn overs
Adding a knitted-on edging
Short rows in garter stitch (wrap and turn method)
Blocking lace