INTRODUCTION

Bundle of Joy

by Lollicat

I first thought about this shawl shortly after having given birth to my dear daughter: I needed something to keep me warm when nursing at night. I saw a project on Ravelry with this yarn and I thought I could play a bit with colour gradients and short rows. Off course I managed to begin the shawl only when my daughter was already 7 months, and never came around to finish it when I needed.

This year I've been travelling a little bit for work so the shawl has kept me company on several flights, always reminding me of my very own bundle of joy.

model: L. Degan

photos: L. Del Puppo

SIZE

One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Width: 23.6 inches/60 cm
Length: 94.5 inches/240 cm

MATERIALS

Yarn
Zagroda Lollipop [75% Wool, 25% Nylon; 423 meters/100 grams skein]; color: Gray; 2 skeins.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
US #7/4.5mm needles for working flat – recommend a long circular

Notions
2 stitch markers
tapestry needle
blocking wires
T-pins

GAUGE

18 sts/39 rows= 4 inches/10 cm in garter stitch

PATTERN NOTES

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

m1: make a backward loop on the right-hand needle.

CHARTS

DIRECTIONS

Garter Tab Cast On
CO 3 sts.
Knit 6 rows.
 At the end of last row, do not turn work but rotate piece 90 degrees clockwise so that the long side of the Garter rectangle is at the top. Pick up and knit 3 sts along this edge (1 st in each of the Garter ridges). Rotate piece another 90 degrees.
 Pick up and knit 3 sts along the CO edge. 9 sts.

Setup row [WS]: K3, m1, k3, m1, k3. 11 sts.


Section 1 (Garter Section)
Row 1: K3, kfb, knit to 4 sts to end, kfb, k3. 2 sts increased.
Repeat Row 1 88 more times. 189 sts.

Section 2 (Short Row Lace Panel)
Row 1 [RS]: Following chart, work sections A & B w&t
Row 2 and all following even rows [WS]: Pm, purl to 4 sts to end, kfb, k3.
Row 3 and all following odd rows [RS]: Following chart, work Section A, repeat Section B to marker, rm, work Section C, w&t.

Work as set, until you have completed all 24 rows twice, and rows 1-10 once more.

Next row [RS]: Section A, repeat Section B to marker, rm, ection C, kfb, k3 (row 11 of chart). 249 sts.

Section 3 (Garter Section)
Row 1: K3, kfb, knit to 4 sts to end, kfb, k3. 2 sts increased.

Repeat Row 1 5 more times – ending with a RS row. 261 sts.

Section 4 (Short Rows Garter Panel)
Setup row [WS]: K3, kfb, k9, w&t. 262 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: PM, k to last 4 sts, kfb, k3. 1 st increased.
Row 2 [WS]: K3, kfb, k to m, rm, k9, w&t.
Repeat Row 1 and 2 12 more times, then work Row 1 once more.
Next row [WS]: K3, kfb, k to m, rm, k to last 4 sts, kfb, k3. 291 sts.

Section 5 (Garter Section)
Row 1: K3, kfb, knit to 4 sts to end, kfb, k3. 2 sts increased.
Repeat Row 1 2 more times. 297 sts.

Section 6 (Symmetrical Short Row Garter Panel)
Row 1[RS]: K165, w&t
Row 2 [WS]: Pm #1, k33, w&t
Row 3 [RS]: Pm #2, k to marker #1, rm #1, k16, w&t
Row4 [WS]: Pm #1, k to marker #2, rm #2, k16, w&t
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 6 more times.

Row 5 [RS]: Pm #2, k to marker #1, rm #1, k to last 4 sts, kfb, k3. 298 sts.
Row 6 [WS]: K to marker #2, rm #2, k to last 4 sts, kfb, k3. 299 sts.

Picot Bind Off
CO 2 with the cable cast-on, bind off 5 sts, move last stitch back to the left needle and repeat to end, binding off 4 sts in the final step.

FINISHING

Weave in all yarn ends; wet or steam block the shawl forming the crescent shape as follows: pull the top edge tightly and pin at each end, letting it curve downward as you start pinning the bottom border. Start at the center, tug down the border and place a t-pin, then work outwards in both directions. After you've pinned all the border you may need to go back and adjust some of the T-pins so that they are consistent. You shouldn't need to pin each picot; just be sure they are smoothed out.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Lorella lives and knits on Lake Maggiore, Italy. She spends her (somehow scarce) free time knitting or thinking about what to knit next.

You can find more of her work here.

Pattern & images © 2018 Lollicat.