As soon as the calendar page changes to September, I start dreaming of knitting cables - the more complex, the better. This autumn I wanted to explore the possibility of combining cables with the short-row crescent shaping I recently developed.

Inspired by beautiful Celtic knotwork, I adapted this Saxon Braid pattern from Barbara Walker’s Third Treasury.   

This sharf (a hybrid of shawlette and scarf) is knitted in one piece starting at the outside edge of the cables.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length at center: 13 inches
Width: 76 inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Blue Sky Alpacas Melange [100% Baby Alpaca; 110yd/100m per 50g skein]; color: #802 Pesto; 5 skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 40-inch US #7/4.5mm circular needle

Notions
Stitch markers
Cable needle
Yarn needle
Rust-proof pins for blocking

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

C5BP: Sl 1 st to cable needle and hold to back of work; k4 from left needle, p1 from cable needle.

C5FP: Sl 4 sts to cable needle and hold to front of work; p1 from left needle, k4 from cable needle.

C6BP: Sl 2 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; k4 from left needle, p2 from cable needle.

C6FP: Sl 4 sts to cable needle and hold to front of work; p2 from left needle, k4 from cable needle.

C6BPDec: Sl 4 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; k4 from left needle, [p2tog, p2tog] from cable needle. 2 sts decreased.

C6FPDec: Sl 4 sts to cable needle and hold to front of work; [p2tog, p2tog] from left needle, k4 from cable needle. 2 sts decreased.

C8B: Sl 4 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; k4 from left needle, k4 from cable needle.

C8F: Sl 4 sts to cable needle and hold to front of work; k4 from left needle, k4 from cable needle.

wyib: With yarn held to back of work.

wyif: With yarn held to front of work.

Move marker 1 st to the left:
On Rows 15, 23, 31, 39 and 47, a [p3tog] will be worked at the end of each pattern repeat. Before working this decrease, sl 2 sts to right needle, remove marker; work [p3tog], place marker on right needle.

Information about blocking can be found here and here.

DIRECTIONS

Work Row 1 of chart, placing a st marker at end of each pattern repeat.

Work Rows 2-56 of chart, decreasing as shown. Remove markers when working last row of chart. 232 sts remain.

Shape shawl body using short rows as follows.
Row 1 [RS]: P7, [C8B, p13] five times, C8B, p6. Turn work.

Row 2 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k5, p8, k6. Turn work.

Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p5, k8, p5, p2tog, p5. Turn work.

Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k10, p8, k5, k2tog, k5. Turn work.

Row 5 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p10, C8B, p10, p2tog, C8B, p6. Turn work.

Row 6 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k5, p8, k11, p8, k10, k2tog, p8, k6. Turn work.

Row 7 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p5, k8, [p11, k8] twice, p5, p2tog, p5. Turn work.

Row 8 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k10, p8, [k11, p8] twice, k5, k2tog, k5. Turn work.

Row 9 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p10, C8B, [p11, C8B] twice, p10, p2tog, C8B, p6. Turn work.

Row 10 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k5, p8, [k11, p8] three times, k10, k2tog, p8, k6. Turn work.

Row 11 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p5, k8, [p11, k8] four times, p5, p2tog, p5. Turn work.

Row 12 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k10, p8, [k11, p8] four times, k5, k2tog, k5. Turn work.

Row 13 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p10, C8B, [p11, C8B] four times, p10, p2tog, C8B, p6. Turn work.

Row 14 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k5, [p8, k11] five times, p8, k10, k2tog, p8, k6. Turn work.

Row 15 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p5, k8, [p11, k8] six times, p5, p2tog, p5. Turn work.

Row 16 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k10, p8, [k11, p8] six times, k5, k2tog, k5. Turn work.

Row 17 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p10, C8B, [p11, C8B] six times, p10, p2tog, C8B, p6. Turn work.

Row 18 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k5, p8, [k11, p8] seven times, k10, k2tog, p8, k6. Turn work.

Row 19 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p5, k8, [p11, k8] eight times, p5, p2tog, p5. Turn work.

Row 20 [WS]: Sl 1 wyib, k10, p8, [k11, p8] eight times, k5, k2tog, k5. Turn work.

Row 21 [RS]: Sl 1 wyif, p10, C8B, [p11, C8B] eight times, p10, p2tog, C8B, p7.

Row 22 [WS]: K7, p8, [k11, p8] nine times, k10, k2tog, p8, k7. 212 sts remain.

BO Row [RS]: [K2tog, sl st from right needle back to left needle] until all sts have been bound off.

FINISHING
Weave in ends and wet block to shape shown in schematic. Begin by pinning the two short edges, then pin center point, followed by remaining points along long edge.

Susanna IC currently lives in Germany with her husband, two sons, eleven fish and countless balls of yarn. She has an extensive background in studio arts and art history, which inspires much of her knitting. 

Her projects and designs can be found on Ravelry, user name zuzusus, and at ArtQualia.com.