Sempervivum by Christine Guest

Sempervivum

Knitting
April 2018
Sport (12 wpi) ?
24 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette
US 5 - 3.75 mm
1104 - 1288 yards (1009 - 1178 m)
Finished Size 64” (162.5cm) across longest row from point to point. Shown in size 64”
English
This pattern is available for free.

Sempervivum are adorable succulents that fill in garden spaces between rocks. They are beautiful all year, even in winter, though their flowers do look like Martian invaders. Hexagons have similar space filling properties.

Each motif is made in the round from the center out, cast off, blocked, then mattress stitched to it’s friends. The pattern includes a construction chart showing the order and arrangement of bind off tails, which are then hid in the seams. You still have to sew (a lot) but it’s orderly.

If you want a different shawl shape, just draw it on hexagonal graph paper, and allow enough yarn; I got 5 hexagons out of each skein. If you make a whole lot of hexagons, you can use the motif for a baby blanket or even an entire couch afghan.

I hope these little motifs fill in the odd spaces in your knitting.