The Shadows of Samhain by Catherine Knutsson

The Shadows of Samhain

Knitting
October 2016
Light Fingering ?
18 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches
in Quilted Cross Stitch
US 6 - 4.0 mm
465 - 800 yards (425 - 732 m)
Three - small, medium, and large
English

It is the dark of the moon. Mist curls up from the earth, stretching towards bare tree branches that scratch at the sky. This is the time of Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, when goblins and spooks creep through the night, cackling into the wind.

The Shadows of Samhain shawl features the Quilted Cross Stitch pattern, which twists and turns its way across the fabric of the shawl. Both the shawl’s colourway and its stitch pattern reminded me of mist moving across barren fields, and the strange shadows cast by trees on dark, moonless nights.

The sample shawl is a size small, and was knit with Riverside Studio’s Merino Singles Fingering (colourway: Gloaming).

Skill Level
Advanced beginner

Sizes
3 sizes - small, medium, and large. See the schematic for approximate dimensions.

Size Small:
A - 75”/190 cm B - 58”/147 cm C - 35”/89 cm D - 17”/43 cm
Size Medium:
A - 75”/190 cm B - 58”/147 cm C - 40”/101 cm D - 21”/53 cm
Size Large:
A - 90”/177 cm B - 58”/147 cm C - 42”/106 cm D - 27”/69 cm

Yarn Requirements
Size Small: 465-500 yards/425-457 meters of fingering or light fingering weight yarn
Size Medium: 550-600 yards/502-548 meters of fingering or light fingering weight yarn
Size Large: 750-800 yards/685-731 meters of fingering or light fingering weight yarn

Needles
- 4 mm (US 6) knitting needles, straight (at least 14”/35 cm long) or circular (or needle size required to get gauge)

Notions

  • pins, wires, and a mat for blocking
  • tapestry needle for weaving in the ends

Many thanks to tech editor Dana Gervais and the testers of this pattern for all your help!