Shearing Day is my second design in a series of original patterns in which I pay homage to sheep, shepherds, and the bonds between us. These designs are metaphoric “love letters” to farm yarn and to the animals and people who pour their hearts and souls into producing it for knitters.

Shorn V is one such yarn. It is a 3-ply, DK weight yarn in natural white, natural brown, and blended natural grey (oatmeal) comprised of mostly Corriedale fiber from Cathe Capel’s Seven Sisters Farm in Illinois and Ewe and Us farm in Nebraska. It was spun at Battenkill Fibers in NY, a worsted spun mill. The Shorn yarn series is a limited edition, small batch offering from Melissa Littlefield of Knitting the Stash.

When substituting yarn, I encourage you to seek out local farm yarn with similar specifications. A heavy sport, DK, or light worsted weight yarn with 2 or 3 plies will work well. Variations in gauge are fine but will affect yardage used and finished dimensions. The pattern is written so that you may continue with additional section repeats if you wish to add size.

Shearing Day Shawl features three colors and a variety of textured stitches. All colorwork is mosaic (one color per row) and the cables are simple 1/1 crosses that may be done without a cable needle. It is a triangle shawl, begun with a garter tab cast-on, worked from the top down. My goal for this shawl is quite simply to let the natural yarn shine.

Gauge: Aim for a gauge of 19 sts (+/- half st) across stitch patterns, knit flat, after blocking, in 4” (10 cm). Row gauge is detailed in the pattern. It is recommended to swatch in garter stitch and Woven Slip Stitches. Exact gauge is not crucial but will affect yardage.

Note: You may need to use a different needle size for different stitch patterns if your gauge differs significantly. Additional guidance is provided in the pattern.

Notions: 4 stitch markers, cable needle (optional), tapestry needle

Instructions are both charted and written.

This pattern has been professionally tech edited and tested.