INTRODUCTION

Beeline

by Stefanie Japel

This shawl is a new take on a classic construction style. The project uses two balls of yarn, one is an ombré and one is a solid. The ombré yarn is used as the main color, and the solid is used as an accent. While the ombré yarn delicately changes colors in stockinette stitch, the solid is used in garter stripes to add a playful-yet-structured look to the overall design aesthetic.

As the shawl is completed, in the last set of garter stitch stripes, the ombré yarn will run out. At this point, the solid is joined (using a spit splice) to the end of the ombré and will be used to finish this final garter stitch portion, as well as to create a tidy 3-stitch i-cord bindoff.

model: Shalom Hubbard

photos: Stefanie Japel

SIZE

One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Width: 77 inches/196cm
Depth: 34 inches/87cm

MATERIALS

Yarn
[MC] Freia Fibers Ombré Fingering Shawl Ball [Single ply 100% US Merino; 100g/3.53 oz - 393 meters/430 yards]; color: Sulfur Springs; 1 skein

[CC] Freia Fibers Fingering Shawl Ball [Single ply 100% US Merino; 100g/3.53 oz - 393 meters/430 yards]; color: Relish; 1 skein

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 US #6/4mm circular needle, 24-inch/length-cm (or longer)
1 US #8/5mm needle – straight or DPN for i-cord bindoff

Notions
4 stitch markers
blocking wires or pins
yarn needle

GAUGE

22 sts/28 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette stitch after blocking

PATTERN NOTES

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

This pattern uses a garter tab cast-on in order to keep a solid line of garter stitch as the top-edge border of the shawl. This cast-on can feel fiddly the first few times you use it, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll love it for both its puzzle-like nature and for its tidy look on finishing.

In the striped sections, the yarns are carried up the sides of the shawl, but you will clip the solid yarns between garter sections. If you try to carry the solid yarn up the edge of the shawl, you will see blips of the other yarn at the edge.

In the last garter stitch section of the shawl, the ombré yarn will run out. It will run out on different rows for different knitters, depending on your gauge / knitting tension. At this point (whichever row it is) you will simply spit splice the end of the solid ball of yarn to the tail of the ombré yarn and continue to the end of the pattern. Note: if you’re using a different yarn, one that is superwash, do NOT splice the two ends, as it won’t be secure. Join in your usual manner in that situation.

DIRECTIONS

Garter Tab Cast On
Using the US 6 / 4.5 mm circular needle, CO 3 stitches using the long-tail method.

Knit 6 rows.

Rotate the work 90 degrees and pick up and knit three stitches along the side edge of the piece. Rotate the work 90 degrees again and pick up and knit 3 more stitches along the cast-on edge. 9 sts total.

Pattern Setup
Row 1 [RS]: K3, place marker, yo, k1, yo, place marker, k1, place marker, yo, k1, yo, place marker, k3. 13 sts.
Row 2 [WS]: K3, p7, k3.

Start Pattern
Row 1 [RS]: K3, sm, yo, k3, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k3, yo, sm, k3. 17 sts.
Row 2 [WS]: K3, p11, k3.
Row 3: K3, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k3. 4 sts increased.
Row 4: K3, p to last 3 sts, k3.

Repeat Rows 3-4 9 more times. 57 sts.

Garter stitch stripes

Without cutting MC, join CC.

Row 1 [RS]: With CC, K3, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k3. 4 sts increased.
Row 2 [WS]: With CC, knit.
Cut CC yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail.

Row 3 [RS]: With MC, k3, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k3. 4 sts increased.
Row 4 [WS]: With MC, k3, p to last 3 sts, k3.
Repeat Rows 3-4 4more times. 81 sts.

Without cutting MC, join CC.
Row 13 [RS]: With CC, k3, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k3. 4 sts increased.
Row 14 [WS]: With CC, knit.
Row 15 [RS]: With MC, k3, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k3. 89 sts.
Row 16 [WS]: With MC, knit.
Repeat Rows 13-16 3 more times, and work Rows 13-14 once more. 117 sts.
Cut CC yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail.

With MC, work Rows 3-4 5 times. 137 sts.
Join CC. Work Rows 13-16 6 times and work Rows 13-14 once more. 189 sts. Cut CC.
With MC, work Rows 3-4 10 times. 229 sts.
Join CC. With CC, work Rows 1-2 once. 233 sts. Cut CC.
With MC, work Rows 3-4 3 times. 245 sts.
Join CC. Work Rows 13-16 8 times, and work Rows 13-14 once more. 313 sts. Cut CC.
Work Rows 3-4 3 times. 325 sts.

Work last garter stitch section.

NOTE: At some point in this section, the ombré yarn will run out. In the sample shawl, this happened in row 178. This will vary by knitter, so I haven’t written it explicitly into the row-by-row instructions. When it does happen, simply join the end of the solid yarn to the end of the ombré yarn and keep working.

Work Rows 13-14 eight times. 389 sts.

I-cord Bind Off
Using CC and large needle, CO 3 stitches to the end of the shawl sts using the “knitting on” method.

I-cord row [RS]: K2, k2tog. Slip these 3 stitches back to left needle.
Repeat i-cord row until all shawl sts are bound off. 3 sts rem.
Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitches.

FINISHING

Block. Weave in ends.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Stefanie Japel is an old-school knitwear designer, having started her first blog way back in 1999.  She’s authored three knitting books, helped start and grow craftsy.com, (and even teaches several Craftsy classes, too!)

You can find Stefanie on Instagram and Facebook, as well as on her website. 

Pattern & images © 2017 Stefanie Japel. Contact Stefanie