Berroco Topiary Wrap Knitting Pattern

Berroco Topiary Knit Shawl

What is Being Made

The Berroco Topiary is a lace knit shawl designed by Amy Christoffers. This intermediate-level project creates a triangular wrap measuring approximately 70 inches across the top edge and 21 inches long after blocking. The shawl is worked flat on a circular needle, making it an accessible project for knitters with some experience in lace techniques.

Techniques Used

This shawl employs lace knitting as its primary technique, worked entirely flat rather than in the round. The construction begins with a small cast-on of just 4 stitches, then progressively increases in width through charted lace patterns. The shawl uses a two-chart system: Chart A establishes the initial shawl structure over 25 rows, building from 4 stitches to 51 stitches. Chart B then takes over, featuring a 10-stitch repeating pattern that is worked multiple times across each repeat cycle. The pattern repeat increases in frequency as the shawl grows wider, starting with 3 repeats of the 10-stitch pattern and expanding to 7 repeats by the third chart cycle, with 2 additional repeats added for each subsequent cycle. The shawl requires a total of 12 complete repeats of Chart B plus 6 additional rows, resulting in 303 stitches and 126 rows of Chart B work.

Stitches Used

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the provided pattern excerpt, the charted lace pattern indicates use of standard lace knitting stitches including yarn overs and decreases that create the openwork design characteristic of lace shawls. The pattern concludes with a sewn bind-off method, a refined finishing technique that creates a professional, elastic edge suitable for lace garments. This bind-off involves threading the yarn tail through a tapestry needle and working it through pairs of stitches on the needle in a specific sequence to secure all stitches smoothly.

Materials

The Berroco Topiary shawl requires 2 balls of Berroco Millefiori Light yarn in colorway #6888 Iris, with each ball weighing 100 grams. A 29-inch circular needle in size 7 (4.50 mm) is used to accommodate the growing stitch count as the shawl expands. A tapestry needle is needed for the sewn bind-off finishing technique. The recommended gauge is 18 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in the charted pattern after blocking, and the pattern emphasizes the importance of checking gauge before beginning to ensure proper finished dimensions.