The inspiration for this piece is drawn from one of Hawaiʻi’s most iconic trees, the ʻōhiʻa lehua. Its lovely round leaves, flower buds, and gorgeous fluffy blossoms are recreated in knitted fabric with lace, miniature nupps, and contrasting yarn textures.

Ohia Shawl is completed in a V-shape which is easy to knit and very comfortable to wear. Alternating stripe patterns offer the perfect “just one more row” kind of knitting experience. The shawl was designed to highlight the beauty of the bouclé by combining it with a smooth yarn companion for a delightfully textured fabric. The pattern would also work great with Suri, mohair, another textured yarn - or just a contrasting colorway!

The length of a shawl can be easily increased/decreased to use up the available yardage. The gauge can be adjusted as well. Instructions for the lace section are both written out and charted. Video tutorial for the Mini Nupps stitch is provided.

Size

• Wingspan 73” / 185cm + optional pompoms
• Depth (along the central spine) 23” / 59cm

Yarn

• Color A: 460yds / 420m of DK or heavy sport weight yarn, preferably solid colorway
• Color B: 260yds / 240m of sport weight bouclé yarn OR Suri alpaca held single OR lace weight mohair held double OR any yarn that works at the stated gauge
• Sample shawl: Color A - Gloss DK from Knit Picks (70% merino, 30% silk; 1.75oz / 50g, 123yds / 112m) in color Bare; Color B - Bubbly Bouclé from Knit Picks (82% alpaca, 13% merino, 5% nylon, 3.5oz / 100g, 328yds / 300m) in color Fizzy Lemonade
• Get the kits from Knit Picks here!

Needles

• US 8 / 5mm needles on a long cable or the size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge

• 15 sts and 32 rows in 4” / 10cm in Garter Stitch, unblocked
• 14 sts and 30 rows in 4” / 10cm in Garter Stitch, blocked
• Can be changed to fit the desired yarn.

Construction

• The shawl is knit as a modified triangle with V-shaping from the top down. It grows with increases along the sides and central spine.

• The shawl is knit as a sequence of stripes in 4 stitch patterns: Garter Stripe, Mini Nupps Stripe, Eyelet Stripe, and Lace Stripe.

• It is easy to adjust the pattern to the available yardage or differences in gauge by repeating/skipping some of the stripes.

• Pompoms can be added to make corners look more playful.