Asymmetrical Lace Shawl in Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Merino - Free

Asymmetrical Lace Shawl in Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Merino

What is Being Made

This is an asymmetrical lace shawl designed by Lisa Gentry, featuring a distinctive three-sided construction with varying edge measurements. The finished shawl measures 85 inches across the leaf edge, 65 inches across the straight edge, and 40 inches across the bind-off edge when blocked. The asymmetrical design creates visual interest through its uneven proportions, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering or draping.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several advanced shawl-knitting techniques. The construction begins with a cast-on edge and progresses through 420 rows of patterned knitting, with the first 201 rows following detailed charts to establish the pattern structure. The shawl incorporates short-row shaping in the leaf edging section to create the asymmetrical silhouette. A picot edging is worked as a special stitch pattern along the bind-off edge, created by alternately casting on 2 stitches and binding off 6 stitches to form decorative loops. The pattern requires careful attention to reading charts correctly—right-side rows are read from right to left while wrong-side rows are read from left to right.

Stitches Used

The shawl combines fundamental knitting stitches with lace-specific decreases and increases. Core stitches include:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P) stitches forming the stockinette stitch base
• Yarn over (YO) stitches creating the lace openwork characteristic of the design
• Knit 2 together (K2tog) for right-leaning decreases
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) for left-leaning decreases
• Knit into front and back (Kfb) for increases
• Purl 3 together (P3tog) for more dramatic decreases in the leaf sections
• Slip 2-knit 1-pass 2 slipped stitches over (Sl2-k1-p2sso) for centered double decreases
• Wrap and turn (W&t) for short-row shaping that creates the asymmetrical contours

The pattern is worked primarily in stockinette stitch with a gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows equaling 4 inches (10 cm) when unblocked. Each right-side row begins with a 3-stitch beginning edging, followed by a diagonal lace section and ending with a leaf edging section.

Materials

This shawl is crafted using Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Merino, a premium yarn composed of 100% Superwash Merino Wool. The pattern calls for 5 skeins of color #45 (Lavender Heather), with each skein containing 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and 220 yards (200 meters) of yardage. Knitting is worked on US 7 (4.5 mm) needles or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge. Additional materials include a yarn needle for weaving in ends and optional stitch markers to help track pattern sections.