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So, funny story. I had this idea for a shawl stuck in my head. It had been rattling around for a few months, and so, of course, I did the most logical thing and went yarn shopping. I found this beautiful wool from Abundant Earth Fibers, and knew it would be perfect.
I “knew” wrong. Not that the wool was wrong. The wool is beautiful and rustic and sheep-y and everything I love in a yarn. It just wasn’t right for the idea that was stuck in my head. Ah well, I’m not in charge of my creativity. What could I do? I had to let the yarn and the needles do what they want. I could either fight them or go with it.
Because I’m not fan of drama, I decided to go with it.
Pave the Way is the result. The Twisted Purl stitch was entertaining and added an appealing texture.
After the relative complexity of Eira (which is still on sale for a couple of more days!), this shawl is a quick and satisfying project.
Once you complete the garter tab beginning and setup row, the pattern consists of two alternating stitch patterns, one them garter, the other the Purl Twist stitch.
Materials
Size US 7/4.5mm circular needle, at least 36 inches long
750 yards DK weight wool or wool blend. I used Abundant Earth Fiber, Verdant in Dark Grey.
2 stitch markers
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Abbreviations
K – Knit P – Purl
RS – Right Side WS – Wrong Side
YO – Yarn Over
PM – Place Marker SM – Slip Marker
St(s) – Stitch(es)
Sl1 wyif – Slip 1 with yarn in front
LRinc – Lifted Right Increase. Using your right needle, lift the right leg of the stitch below the next stitch on the left-hand needle onto the left-hand needle and knit it. 1 stitch increased.
LLinc – Lifted Left Increase. Using your left needle, lift the left leg of the stitch 2 rows below the stitch on right-hand needle onto left-hand needle and knit it through the back loop. 1 stitch increased.
April over at WithWool.com has a great tutorial on working the lifted increases in garter stitch.
PT – Purl Twist. Purl 2 stitches together, but don’t remove stitches from left needle. Purl the first stitch again, then slip both stitches off needle.
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Stitch Patterns
Garter Sections
Row 1 (RS): K2, YO, K to marker, LLinc, SM, K1, SM, LRinc, K to last 2 sts, YO, K2.
Row 2 (WS): K to marker, SM, SL1 wyif, SM, K to end.
Purl Twist Sections
Row 1 (RS): K2, YO, K to marker, LLinc, SM, K1, SM, LRinc, K to last 2 sts, YO, K2.
Row 2 (WS): K3, PT to 1 st before marker, K1, SM, Sl1 wyif, SM, K1, PT to last 3 sts, K3.
Instructions
Using your favorite garter tab cast-on method, cast on a two-stitch wide garter tab with 9 total stitches. My favorite garter tab that uses short rows instead of picking up stitches to create the tab is here. This is the method I use for starting all top-down triangular or crescent shaped shawls.
Setup Row (WS): K4, PM, P1, PM, K4.
Now alternate Garter Sections and Purl Twist Sections however you like. Sample was done as follows:
Garter Section until you have 81 stitches, ending with a WS row.
Purl Twist Section: 10 times.
Garter Section: 5 times.
Purl Twist Section: 9 times.
Garter Section: 5 times.
Purl Twist Section: 8 times.
Garter Section: 5 times.
Purl Twist Section: 7 times.
Garter Section: 5 times.
Purl Twist Section: 6 times.
Garter Section: 2 times.
That’s it! I’m the only one to test this pattern, so if you find any mistakes or have any questions, please feel free to comment or send me a message.
If you prefer a .pdf of the pattern, you can download it here: Pave the Way
As far as that other idea I had floating around my head, it will have to wait until another time. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Pave the Way and have a beautiful weekend.