This was designed to be a very special shawl for a dear friend; and as such, it incorporates many of her favorite elements: flowers, lace, beads, and nupps. 9300 seed beads and 79 drop beads highlight the sunflower, and make the leaves glitter with “dew.” Nupps provide gorgeous texture in the center (this element was inspired by Sun Chaser which I rmodified to fit my vision.) The crescent shape allows it to sit on the shoulders without needing a shawl pin to hold it in place. And as you can see, I gave it substantial length, turning this into more of a cape than a shawl.

The first sample of this pattern I wasn’t paying very close attention to the yards by weight of my yarn. I was focused more on total yardage and the “lace weight” label on the website. The yarn is what I would call “light fingering” at ~480yds/100g, and the result is a cape that brushes my ankles. (Though I’m not particularly tall.) You can see more details about this sample here: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/emeania/sunflower-cape

Luckily, my test knitter, Legessa, was going to be knitting her version with much finer yarn--though hers is hand spun--approximately 1200 yds/100g. The shawl/cape pictured is hers. Be sure to select a yarn with 850 yds (800m) per 100g or more … unless you want a floor length cape.

(Keep in mind, a heavier yarn will require larger needles and more yardage. In my fingering weight sample, I used 4200 yds and size 5 needles.)

This pattern is best suited to the advanced or more intrepid intermediate knitter due to the fine lace weight yarn, provisional cast on, and nupps. HOWEVER, don’t let this arbitrary “difficulty” rating stop you! The nupps can be substituted for larger round beads--size 8/0 or 6/0 suggested--and the lace sections use common lace stitches with rest rows on every even row. The pattern is both written and charted, with minimal directions given on the charts so you can print them and have everything you need on just those pages.