Entrelac and Noro yarns are a match made in heaven. Each of these shawls is worked using three different colorways of a Noro yarn: the larger shawl is worked in Kureyon, the smaller shawl in Silk Garden Sock.

I knit the shawls without worrying too much about how the colors combined... I just let the color progressions unfold naturally, even when I initially disliked the combinations and arrangements that seemed to be developing.

Some of the juxtapositions seemed chaotic and awkward while I was knitting, but when I was finished, these combinations made the finished shawls more vibrant and interesting than they would have been if I'd tried to arrange the colours to make them more even or more obviously pleasing. The differing tier lengths of the triangular shape ensured that no two colors met the same way twice.

A large, firm buttonhole worked in the center of each square and triangle adds visual interest; when blocked, the entrelac squares stretch out into distorted, tesselating hourglass shapes.

SIZE
Smaller[Larger]

smaller shawl shown above right
larger shawl shown above left

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Width: 71[92.5] inches
Length at center point: 30[38.5] inches

Note: Measurements taken after blocking. Shawls can be blocked larger or smaller than dimensions given.

MATERIALS
Yarn

Smaller Shawl [shown above right]
Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn [40% wool, 25% silk, 25% nylon, 10% kid mohair; 328yd/300m per 100g skein]; 1 skein each color
[A] #307 (natural, mauve, teal, yellow, grey, deep pink)
[B] #289 (dark and bright blues and greens, red-orange, peach)
[C] #302 (greys, greens, blue, purple, pink, gold, brown, orange)

Larger Shawl [shown above left]
Noro Kureyon [100% wool; 110yd/100m per 50g skein]; 3 skeins each color
[A] #250 (purples, blues, red, pink)
[B] #252 (browns, greys, peach, teal, mint green)
[C] #226 (reds, olive, black, teal, magenta)

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
For smaller shawl: 1 US #7/4.5mm circular needle, 32 inches or longer
For larger shawl: 1 US #10/6mm circular needle, 32 inches or longer
Note: For both versions, you may prefer to use a longer needle for the first few tiers.

Notions
Yarn needle
1 crochet hook, several sizes smaller than needle used (optional; see Pattern Notes).

GAUGE

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

Choosing Colors:
Of course, you can choose the colors for this project any way you want. For a shawl with a more subtle impact, you can use a single colorway of a Noro or other self-striping yarn; it would even work well in a solid or semi-solid color. However, if you wish to achieve the lively, vibrant effect of the shawls shown, here are a few tips on selecting colorways.

Don't worry too much about trying to make the colors in the shawl match or harmonize. I chose colorways that I felt would have one or two points of commonality, but that would also be very different. For example, all colorways in the large shawl had some variation of teal or aqua, but beyond that, they had little in common: #250 is mostly blue and purple, #226 is quite bright and full of contrasts, and #252 is fairly muted and neutral, with surprising pops of (mostly pastel) color. I felt that #250 and #226 were an obvious match, since they both contain predominantly jewel tones. #252 is the colorway that brings this shawl to life, as the oddness of the mint green, peach and brown contrast with the red, purple and blue of the other colorways. At the same time, the grey and teal provided moments where the tiers of #252 harmonized with the other rich tones of the shawl.

It's okay if many of the shades in the colorways you choose will clash, and if you can't imagine how they will combine. That's a big part of the fun of this project! Don't be afraid to choose a colorway that is much lighter, brighter or darker than the others; the unusual colors will be distributed throughout the shawl in unexpected ways, creating a coherent overall effect. And don't worry if you think the shawl looks strange or awkward after the first few tiers. Keep going! As each color is repeated in subsequent tiers, the colors will create their own unique harmony.

pick up and knit

pick up and purl

One-Row Buttonhole:
Directions for the buttonhole I used can be found here.

I found that the buttonhole was faster and easier to work when I used a crochet hook for the bind-off portion, as follows:

Sl 1 knitwise onto hook, bring yarn forward between left needle and stitch on hook, to front of work; *sl next st knitwise onto hook, use hook to draw this st through previous st on hook (1 st bound off); repeat from * until all sts have been bound off, then slip remaining st from hook back to left needle.

Other than this, work the buttonholes exactly as described in the linked article above.

Directions for Spit-Splicing can be found here.

kfb: Knit into front, then back, of next st.
1 st increased to 2 sts.

kfbf: Knit into front, then back, then front again, of next st.
1 st increased to 3 sts.

Picking Up Stitches:
When picking up sts for the squares in this project, I inserted the needle into the center of the edge st,  instead of between the edge st and the adjacent st. 

See photos at right.

Picking up sts this way ensured that the WS of the pick-up row looks almost like a normal row of purl bumps, instead of forming the small ridge that often forms on the WS of the work when picking up sts.

DIRECTIONS
FIRST TIER (Base Triangles)
Using A, CO 2 sts.

Row 1 [WS]: P2.

Row 2 [RS]: K1, kfb. 3 sts in triangle.

Row 3 [WS]: P all sts of triangle.

Row 4 [RS]: K2, kfb. 4 sts in triangle.

Odd-Numbered Rows 5-13 [WS]: P all sts of triangle.

Even-Numbered Rows 6-12 [RS]: K to last st, kfb. 1 st increased. 8 sts when Row 12 is complete.

Row 14 (Buttonhole Row) [RS]: K2; work One-Row Buttonhole (see Pattern Notes), binding off 4 sts; kfb. 9 sts in triangle.

Odd-Numbered Rows 15-21 [WS]: P all sts of triangle.

Even-Numbered Rows 16-20 [RS]: K to last st, kfb. 1 st increased. 12 sts when Row 20 is complete.

Row 22 [RS]: K11, kfbf. 14 sts: 12 sts in triangle just completed, 2 sts in next triangle.

Repeat Rows 1-22 14 times more. You will have worked a total of 15 triangles.

Note: Each new triangle will begin with the 2 sts increased in Row 22 of the previous triangle. Sts of previous triangle will remain on hold on needle until following tier is worked.

Last [16th] Triangle:
Work Rows 1-20.
Break yarn, leaving a tail 10[14] inches (see note below) long. Spit-splice next yarn color (B for second tier) to working yarn, then BO 11 sts purlwise. 1 st remains on right needle.

Note: 10[14] inches is the length of yarn tail used in the shawls shown; this length was calculated so that the last bound off st would be worked using the new color. You may find that you need a slightly longer or shorter tail. Don't worry if this doesn't work out perfectly each time; if 1 or 2 sts are worked using the “wrong” color, it will not detract from the appearance of the finished piece.

SECOND TIER
Note: When the directions for this tier say “shape”, read “triangle” when working second tier, and “square” when working subsequent even-numbered tiers. See Pattern Notes re. picking up sts.

First Square:
With WS facing and continuing from st on right needle, pick up and purl [see Pattern Notes] 11 sts along side edge of shape just completed (this will be approx. 1 st picked up for every 2 rows); sl last picked-up st to left needle, p2tog (last st of current square purled together with 1 st of shape from previous tier). 12 sts in square.

Row 1 [RS]: Sl 1, k11.

Row 2 [WS]: P11, p2tog (last st of current square purled together with 1 st of shape from previous tier).

Odd-Numbered Rows 3-9: Work as for Row 1.

Even-Numbered Rows 4-10: Work as for Row 2.

Row 11 [RS]: Sl 1, k1; work One-Row Buttonhole, binding off 8 sts; k1.

Odd-Numbered Rows 13-21: Work as for Row 1.

Even-Numbered Rows 12-22: Work as for Row 2.

At end of Row 22, when last st of shape from previous tier has been worked together with last st of current square, do not turn work.

Next Square:
With WS facing and continuing from last row of previous square, pick up and p 12 sts along side edge of adjacent shape from previous tier; this will be approx. 1 st picked up for every 2 rows, and 1 st in corner between 2 shapes. Slip last picked-up st to left needle; p2tog (last st of current square purled together with 1 st of shape from previous tier).
Work Rows 1-22 as for First Square.

Continue working squares in this way until all sts of previous tier have been worked. There will be 15 squares in this tier.

When last square is complete, break yarn, leaving a tail 10[14]inches long. Spit-splice next yarn color (C for third tier) to working yarn, then BO 11 sts knitwise. 1 st remains on right needle.

THIRD TIER

First Square:
With RS facing and continuing from st on right needle, pick up and k 11 sts along side edge of square just completed (this will be approx. 1 st picked up for every 2 rows); sl last picked-up st to left needle, ssk (last st of current square worked together with 1 st of square from previous tier). 12 sts in square.

Row 1 [WS]: Sl 1, p11.
Row 2 [RS]: K11, ssk (last st of current square worked together with 1 st of square from previous tier).
Odd-Numbered Rows 3-21: Work as for Row 1.
Even-Numbered Rows 4-8: Work as for Row 2.
Row 10 [RS]: Sl 1, k1; work One-Row Buttonhole, binding off 8 sts; ssk (last st of current square worked together with 1 st of square from previous tier).
Even-Numbered Rows 12-22: Work as for Row 2.
At end of Row 22, when last st of shape from previous tier has been worked together with last st of current square, do not turn work.

Next Square:
With RS facing and continuing from last row of previous square, pick up and k 12 sts along side edge of adjacent square from previous tier; this will be approx. 1 st picked up for every 2 rows, and 1 st in corner between 2 shapes. Slip last picked-up st to left needle; ssk (last st of current square purled together with 1 st of shape from previous tier).
Work Rows 1-22 as for First Square.

Continue working squares in this way until all sts of previous tier have been worked. There will be 14 squares in this tier.
When last square is complete, break yarn, leaving a tail 10[14]inches long. Spit-splice next yarn color (A for fourth tier) to working yarn, then BO 11 sts purlwise. 1 st remains on right needle.

FOURTH TIER
Using A, work as for second tier. There will be 13 squares in this tier.

FIFTH TIER
Using B, work as for third tier. There will be 12 squares in this tier.

SIXTH TIER
Using C, work as for second tier. There will be 11 squares in this tier.

SEVENTH TIER
Using A, work as for third tier. There will be 10 squares in this tier.

EIGHTH TIER
Using B, work as for second tier. There will be 9 squares in this tier.

NINTH TIER
Using C, work as for third tier. There will be 8 squares in this tier.

TENTH TIER
Using A, work as for second tier. There will be 7 squares in this tier.

ELEVENTH TIER
Using B, work as for third tier. There will be 6 squares in this tier.

TWELFTH TIER
Using C, work as for second tier. There will be 5 squares in this tier.

THIRTEENTH TIER
Using A, work as for third tier. There will be 4 squares in this tier.

FOURTHEENTH TIER
Using B, work as for second tier. There will be 3 squares in this tier.

FIFTEENTH TIER
Using C, work as for third tier. There will be 2 squares in this tier.

FINAL SQUARE
Using A, pick up and work sts as for first square of second tier. When Row 22 is complete, BO all sts knitwise.

FINISHING
Weave in ends and block as desired. Shawls shown were wet blocked without pinning.

Mandy is the Senior Technical Editor for Knitty.com, and co-author of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti. Her patterns have been published in various books and magazines; find her on Ravelry as yarnageddon.

She knits and watches trashy sci-fi in Vancouver BC.