My inspiration for this piece came from Taylor Swift’s song evermore - raw emotions, loneliness, overcoming. Moving across the country (and out of state for the first time ever) is the scariest thing I’ve ever done. The last few months of adjusting to being away from friends and family have been difficult, to say the least. I have found myself reaching for familiar things that make me feel a sense of ‘home’ - a grilled cheese and tomato soup, the movies I’ve seen a million times, books I’ve read over and over, my favorite music, and my knitting, of course.

With every time I cry in the closet, where it’s dark and quiet and I can almost pretend I’m back in my childhood home in Washington state, there’s also a time that I feel so absolutely free and untethered.

“…& I was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter, catching my death…”

“…& I couldn’t be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar, this pain wouldn’t be for evermore…” -Taylor Swift/William Bowery/Justin Vernon

The Wildest Winter Shawl begins with a simple garter tab cast on and increases are worked every 4th row to create a romantic half-hexagonal shape, perfect for wrapping up against the cold or using as a small lap blanket anywhere you go. Most of the shawl is meditative, familiar garter stitch worked flat with spines of 1-stitch cables. The second color is embroidered with a tapestry needle after the main color of the shawl has been knitted, so there is no knit color-work involved.

Suitable for Intermediate Knitters, or Adventurous Beginners

Required Materials

• Lion Brand Color Theory - 4 Balls of Main Color and 1 Ball of Contrast Color (100g/246yds per ball) Sample used 3 full balls and 1 partial ball of main color (’tourmaline’) and 1 partial ball of contrast color (’moonbeam’)
• US 6/4mm knitting needles, at least 64” circulars (Interchangeable needles with cable extenders highly recommended)
• 6 Stitch Markers
• Cable Needle
• Tapestry Needle
• Scissors
• Blocking Materials

Techniques (Included but not limited to):

• Garter Tab Cast On
• Slipping Stitches
• K
• P
• C2B & C2F (Cable 2 Back & Cable 2 Front)
• YO
• K2togtbl for bind off row
• Optional Embroidery: French Knot Stitch

Many thanks to Lion Brand Yarn for providing yarn support for this pattern! This is also available as a kit on their website, wink wink!

The pattern and photographs of this design are the property of Kaysie Culbertson of KaysieCrafts. This pattern and design are subject to copyright, and distribution of this document in whole or in part in any way is not allowed. No commercial manufacturing using this pattern is allowed. You may sell finished small-scale handknit products (no more than 5) with this pattern but please kindly include pattern credit to Kaysie Culbertson of KaysieCrafts.

Song Lyric Credits:
Taylor Swift. evermore, Republic Records, 2020.