*** This pattern is available exclusively to A Verb for Keeping Warm Pro-Verbial Club members through July 15, 2020. At that time, this pattern will be available to the public. If you are interested in joining the Pro-Verbial Club, please sign-up for our newsletter through our website. ***

Wandering through the forest and knitting are two of my favorite ways to de-stress. So wanting to combine these two elements, I created Tender Earth, using a stitch pattern reminiscent of leaves. This stitch pattern is easy to memorize, the way the yarn-overs and decreases meander through the pattern, is a bit like taking that well-loved hike through the woods. Your feet know the way, your mind is allowed to wander, and you don’t get lost. I feel that having a simple, yet intriguing pattern, evocative of nature is especially meaningful during this time, as we stay close to home and stay safe. As I knit, I grew to love the texture created by the pull and push of the pattern, so have left this texture as part of the piece.

Finished Measurements
57” 144.7 cm long and 9” 22.9 cm tall

Yarn
A Verb for Keeping Warm Doodle (100% superwash merino, 4 oz 112 g / 388 yards 354 meters), 2 skeins

Knitting Needles + Tools
One 24” (or longer) circular size US 4 3.5mm needle
5 stitch markers
Tapestry needle

NOTES

• This yarn is tightly plied, making a beautiful round yarn, that picks up stitch patterns beautifully, that being said, it tends to coil on itself, so have found when knitting from a center-pull ball, take a strand from the outside of the ball, rather than from the inside to avoid tangles.

• This wrap includes a garter stitch border. First, you will knit a garter stitch edging. Then you will knit the Tender Earth stitch pattern; included are written instructions and a chart, use whichever you find easier. You will end with a garter stitch border.

• The texture of the shawl is preserved through using an iron or steamer, and using steam to lightly block. The wrap will relax with wearing over time. If you would like to see more of the leaf pattern, use blocking wires and boards to pull the fabric taut. The wrap will be much larger than the dimensions listed.