Vintage, romantic, feminine, and the perfect accessory to wear to your next tea party, The Shabby Chic Fade Shawl incorporates lace panels, beading, and a pleasing tonal play on the Shabby Chic color palette. It is crescent-shaped and knit from the top down beginning with the palest color and working through 6 gradually deepening shades before casting off. The shawl includes 3 floral lace insert panels adorned with optional beading as well as German Short Row color blocks, all of which are accented with contrasting garter row stripes. The scalloped border forms naturally once blocked, and instructions are included for the optional beading along the edging. I used a custom dyed gradience fade kit from The Unique Sheep and made available at earthfaire.com. The kits have 120 yards in each of 6 shades of Shabby Pinks or Greens, and 400 yards in an accent color for a total of 1,120 yards in The Unique Sheep’s Verve2 Superwash Merino Wool fingering weight yarn. My finished shawl is 73 inches in length and 18 inches at its center, deepest point. It has been test knit, and full written instructions are included in the pattern as well as charts and row counts for the lace inserts. A KAL is in the process of being set up on earthfaire.com.

About the pattern:
I am a romantic at heart and adore historically based dramas like Downton Abbey. Set in the early 1900’s, the costuming and romance sweeps me away. When I decided to design the Shabby Chic Shawl, it was with visions of the women on the expansive green lawns having tea surrounded by lilacs, roses and hydrangea. Unabashedly feminine, muted pink and mint green vintage color palettes, tea cups and scones with clotted cream and strawberries, and lace petticoats and parasols, this shawl is sure to be a first pick for any garden tea party! I wanted more than one color for the shawl and decided on a graduating ombre palette that starts at the lightest color on the top and becomes darker as the shawl grows with the darkest color being added just before casting off. Crescent in shape, I used German Short Rows to separate the darkening shades which are also accented with a contrasting color, and 3 floral lace inserts with beading to really make the shawl unique. This shawl is something you would be thrilled to find in Grandma’s attic, but you will be glad you had the fun of knitting it instead.