Attending Sock Summit was the most inspiring thing I’ve done in my creative life. It was a nexus of inspirational knitters. Since it was chillier than usual for the time of year, everyone got a chance to show off some spectacular knits. 

One lovely lady in particular was wearing possibly the most unusual sweater I’ve ever seen. There was even a little gaggle of people behind her talking about this sweater. She told us that it was actually machine made, bought on vacation in an exotic location I no longer remember. And she shared that someone at the conference had told her that it was impossible to make by hand.

Well, she knew better and set a challenge to anyone who could figure out how to do it. I was so inspired that I ripped out the sock I’d cast on earlier and started swatching. After several false starts, and going back to the sweater more than once, I got it!

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 60 inches
Width: 22 inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Tess Designer Yarns Raw Silk [100% raw silk; approx. 900yd/823m per 8oz skein]; color: Blue Clay Falls; 1 skein


Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set US #4 /3.5mm straight needles
1 US E/4 / 3.5mm crochet hook

Notions
Yarn needle

GAUGE

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

S2KP: Slip next 2 sts together, knitwise, as if to work a k2tog. Knit next st, then pass both slipped sts together over st just knit. This forms a centered double decrease.

m1: Insert left needle, from front to back, under strand of yarn which runs between last stitch on left needle and first stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through back loop.
1 stitch increased.

Instructions for Backwards Loop Cast On can be found here.

Instructions for working a crochet chain can be found here.

This project is ideal for using (or learning) the technique of knitting back backwards, instead of turning the work around to purl WS rows. Instructions for this technique are available here.

DIRECTIONS

SET-UP SECTION

Establish First Three Columns:
CO 6 sts.

Row 1 [WS]: P6.

Row 2 [RS]: Yo, k2, S2KP, kfb.

Rows 3-5: Work in stockinette st.

Row 6 [RS]: K6, CO 6 sts. 12 sts.

Row 7 [WS]: P12.

Row 8 [RS]: K7, m1, k1, S2KP, kfb.

Rows 9-11: Work in stockinette st.

Row 12 [RS]: K12, CO 6 sts. 18 sts.

Row 13 [WS]: P18.

Row 14 [RS]: K13, m1, k1, S2KP, kfb.

Row 15 [WS]: P11, drop next st and allow to unravel back to CO. Turn work. 17 sts on needle.

Row 16 [RS]: K11.

Row 17 [WS]: P11.

Establish Additional Columns:
Row 18 [RS]: K11, CO 6 sts.
Row 19 [WS]: P17.
Row 20 [RS]: K12, m1, k1, S2KP, kfb.
Row 21 [WS]: P11, drop next st and allow to unravel back to CO. Turn work.
Row 22 [RS]: K11.
Row 23 [WS]: P11.

Repeat Rows 18-23 ten times more, or until you have one less column than desired total.

Establish Last Column:
Row 24 [RS]: K11, CO 7 sts.
Row 25 [WS]: P18.
Row 26 [RS]: K12, m1, k1, S2KP, k1, kfb.
Row 27 [WS]: P12, drop next st and allow to unravel back to CO. Turn work.
Rows 28-32: Work in stockinette st over 12 sts.
Row 33 [WS]: P6, drop next st and allow to unravel back to CO. Turn work.
Rows 34-50: Work in stockinette st over 6 sts.

If you have worked 15 columns of waves (same width as shawl shown), you will have 77 sts on the needle at this point. If you have worked a different number of columns, you will have 6 sts on the needle for the first and last columns, and 5 sts for every other column.

RIGHT CURVE SECTION
Row 1 [WS]: P6, yo, p5. Turn work.
Rows 2-8: Work in stockinette st over 12 sts.
Row 9 [WS]: P12, yo, p5.
Row 10 [RS]: K11, drop next st and allow to unravel back to yo. Turn work.
Rows 11-16: Work in stockinette st over 11 sts.
Row 17 [WS]: P11, yo, p5.
Row 18 [RS]: K11, drop next st and allow to unravel back to yo. Turn work.
Rows 19-24: Work in stockinette st over 11 sts.

Repeat Rows 17-24 ten times more, or until only one column of waves remains unworked.

Final Repeat of Right Curve Section:
Row 1 [WS]: P11, yo, p6.
Row 2 [RS]: K12, drop next st and allow to unravel back to yo. Turn work.
Rows 3-9: Work in stockinette st over 12 sts.
Row 10 [RS]: K6, drop next st and allow to unravel back to yo. Turn work.
Rows 11-27: Work in stockinette st over 6 sts.

Final Repeat of Left Curve Section:
Row 1 [RS]: K11, yo, k6.

Row 2 [WS]: P12, drop next st and allow to unravel back to yo. Turn work.

Rows 3-9: Work in stockinette st over 12 sts.

Row 10 [WS]: P6, drop next st and allow to unravel back to yo. Turn work.

Rows 11-27: Work in stockinette st over 6 sts.

Repeat Right Curve Section and Left Curve Section twelve times more, or until shawl is desired length, ending with Left Curve Section.

ENDING SECTION
Row 1 [WS]: P6, yo, p5. Turn work.
Row 2-7: Work in stockinette st over 12 sts.
Row 8 [RS]: K6, SSK, k2, k2tog.
Row 9 [WS]: BO 3 sts purlwise (1 st on right needle), drop next stitch down to yo; place st just worked on crochet hook and ch 2, then return ch st to right needle; p next st on left needle then pass ch st on right needle over st just purled, p4, yo, p5. 11 sts on right needle.
Row 10-15: Work in stockinette st over 11 sts.
Row 16 [RS]: K6, ssk, k1, k2tog.
Row 17 [WS]: BO 2 sts purlwise (1 st on right needle), drop next stitch down to yo; place st just worked on crochet hook and ch 2, then return ch st to right needle; p next st on left needle then pass ch st on right needle over st just purled, p4, yo, p5. 11 sts on right needle.

Repeat Rows 10-17 ten times more, or until only one column of waves remains unworked. Work Rows 10-16 once more.

Final Repeat of Ending Section:
Row 1 [WS]: BO 2 sts purlwise (1 st on right needle), drop next stitch down to yo; place st just worked on crochet hook and ch 2, then return ch st to right needle; p next st on left needle then pass ch st on right needle over st just purled, p4, yo, p6. 12 sts on right needle.
Rows 2-7: Work in stockinette st over 12 sts.
Row 8 [RS]: K7, ssk, k1, k2tog.
Row 9 [WS]: BO 2 sts purlwise (1 st on right needle), drop next stitch down to yo; place st just worked on crochet hook and ch 2, then return ch st to right needle; p next st on left needle then pass ch st on right needle over st just purled, p5. 6 sts on right needle.
Rows 10-15: Work in stockinette st over remaining 6 sts.
Row 16 [RS]: Ssk, k2, k2tog.
BO remaining 4 sts.

FINISHING
Weave in ends.  Wash and block, pinning out each curve.

Mandie lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband, 3 children, a dog and a fish.  She learned to knit as an exchange student in Germany in the dark days of '80s knitting.  Now the yarn is taking over the house. 

She blogs here; on Ravelry she is known as Knitwit.