This shawl was inspired by something mundane—carpet patterns! When I was traveling in Ireland, the carpet in my hotel had a fantastic yellow and gray pattern that I loosely interpreted into the colorwork for this shawl. Further inspired by the rich colors of the Irish countryside, I returned home with a palette of grays and earth tones for some new designs…. that transformed into the palette you see here.

The shawl is written for one size using worsted weight yarn, but you could easily adapt it for a scarf or different sized accessory for a larger/smaller yarn. Alternatively, you could choose to leave the piece as one tube of fabric instead of steeking it, creating a cowl-like garment in place of the shawl pictured here.

Be sure to block your gauge swatch and to work the swatch in the round--both will affect your gauge if you are looking to achieve the same size as in the pattern. Additionally, I needed nearly 3 full skeins of Capella, so if your gauge differs greatly from what’s listed in the pattern, you may need another skein.

This shawl is worked entirely in one piece, using stranded colorwork and a gradient set, curated by Space Cadet Yarns. Cast on for an adventure in Latvian braids, colorwork, and steeks: at the end of the shawl, you will steek the piece using a crochet hook or sewing machine and sharp scissors.