This shawl is a deep crescent shape with a circular opening for the neck. The design allows it to be slipped over your shoulders like a cardigan, without needing to be held or pinned. It has enough stockinette to be a quick knit, while maintaining a shoulder-framing panel of lace. A bit of cashmere in the yarn provides a lovely drape. It’s equally suitable for a dressy evening out or a sweet summer tea party.

The name has a story:
By day I am a high school Chemistry and Math teacher. I see knit shapes in the molecules and crystals that I draw on the chalkboard, and consider the type of decreases that would allow me to knit these bond angles. On weekends, I sit at home working out the algebra of x repeats of 12 plus seven totaling a multiple of nine… This is how knitters live: grafting together our converging passions.

The result is this tantalizing shawl with a crystal shape (or lace pattern, if you will,) a little like the chemical compound lutetium tantalate, LuTaO4.

Note that the pictures to the left include a schematic as well as a row-by-row stitch count chart with helpful pattern notes.

LANGUAGE UPDATE: Marianne Holmen has translated this pattern into Danish, available here: https://strikkeglad.dk/36908/soed-fristelse/