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Thunderbird is an asymmetrical triangular shawl knitted sideways. It consists of stripes of feather lace and stockinette alternating between two colors.

Difficulty level: intermediate to advanced. It could be considered ‘advanced’ because you will have to do lace on both the right and the wrong side but all in all the lacy parts of this shawl are always the same 16 rows repeat. The most advanced technique used is the ssp – the other techniques are pretty straightforward.

Dimensions after blocking:
240 cm (94.5”) long, approx. 61 cm (24”) deep

Supplies:

• 3mm (US 2½) knitting needles (or size to match the gauge)
• 375m (410 yards) of fingering weight yarn in color 1, preferably 100% wool or a blend of 75% wool/25% manufactured fibers (common sock yarn blend) as this is a type of yarn that safely supports a good blocking.
• 375m (410 yards) of fingering weight yarn in color 2 (same advice as for color 1: preferably 100% wool or 75% wool/25% manufactured fibers). If you want a 100% wool yarn, Tosh Merino Light would be a good (and quite high-end) option. If you lean more towards color changing yarn, Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy is a nice option. (I am recommending these yarns because I do have experience using them and know hat they look good and block nicely.) Any fingering weight sock yarn will do, really. The shawl in the pictures was made with some VERY generic sock yarn (75% wool/25% polyamide, 210m per 50g). If you do settle for a more delicate fiber blend, please remember to be extra careful during the blocking process.
• 2 different stitch markers. They will be used as marker A (mA) and marker B (mB).
• a darning needle to weave in the ends.
• pins (or blocking wires) (50 pins will be enough), blocking mats and a LOT of room for blocking.

Gauge:

• 1 feather lace repeat (e.g. from the middle of a feather to the middle of the following feather) = 7cm (2.76”) wide
• 2 feather stripes (at the highest point) = 12 cm (4.72”) high (see the pictures on the side to see how to measure your gauge - the pictures are also included in the pattern)

Abbreviations and techniques used:
RS: Right Side
WS: Wrong Side
st(s): stitch(es)
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 sts together
ssk: slip, slip, knit the 2 slipped stitches together.
p: purl
ssp: slip, slip, purl.
- Right-handed ssp: Slip the next two stitches, one at a time, from the left knitting needle to the right knitting needle as if to knit. Slip these stitches back to the left knitting needle keeping them twisted. Purl these two stitches together through their back loops.
- Left-handed ssp: Slip the next two stitches, one at a time, from the right knitting needle to the left knitting needle as if to knit. Slip these stitches back to the right knitting needle keeping them twisted. Purl these two stitches together through their back loops.
p2tog: purl 2 sts together
yo: yarn over
Xyos: yarn over X times (these yos will always be dropped during the next row to create elongated stitches)
mX: marker X
smX: slip marker X
pmX: place marker X
sl1, k2tog, psso: slip 1 st knitwise, knit 2 sts together, pass the slipped stitch over.

This pattern includes diagrams showing you how to block this shawl, tips on how to carry the yarn up so you don’t have to cut the yarn in between stripes and pictures showing you how to check your gauge for the feather lace pattern.