Classic Elite Yarns Nollie Wrap Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Nollie Shawl

What is Being Made

The Nollie is a triangular shawl and wrap designed by Susan Mills, originally published in Sail Away 1703. This project creates a striking striped and ridged wrap using just three balls of tone-on-tone Fortuna yarn. The finished piece features a decorative leaf border worked first, with the main shawl body then constructed by picking up stitches and working upward in alternating bands.

Construction and Techniques

This knitting project employs several key techniques to achieve its elegant finished form:

• Lace Edging: The design begins with a leaf border worked in lace, featuring yarn overs and decreases that create an openwork leaf pattern. This decorative edge is worked first using the cable cast-on method.
• Striped Body: The main shawl body is constructed by picking up approximately 240 stitches along the straight selvedge edge of the completed leaf border. The body is then worked upward in alternating bands of stockinette stitch and garter stitch, creating the characteristic ridged appearance.
• Shaping Through Decreases: The triangular silhouette is achieved through strategic decreasing. A decrease row worked on the right side reduces 4 stitches per row—2 stitches at the center and 1 stitch at each side edge—gradually tapering the wrap to a point.
• Worked Flat: The entire project is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, making it accessible for knitters comfortable with traditional flat construction.

Stitches and Pattern Details

The Nollie incorporates fundamental knitting stitches combined in strategic ways:

• Leaf Border Stitches: The 12-row repeating leaf border uses knit and purl stitches on alternating rows, yarn overs (yo) for openwork, knit two together (k2tog) decreases, slip stitches, and kfb (knit front and back) increases. The border expands from 7 cast-on stitches to 20 stitches at its widest point, then decreases back to 10 stitches before being bound off.
• Body Stitches: The main shawl body alternates between stockinette stitch (knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows) and garter stitch (knit on all rows), creating the ridged texture. Decreases are worked using ssk (slip, slip, knit) and k2tog techniques positioned to maintain the triangular shape.
• Decrease Row Pattern: The decrease row on the right side follows the sequence: K1, ssk, knit to 3 stitches before center marker, k2tog, k1, slip marker, k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1, removing 4 stitches total per decrease row.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

This project requires three balls of Classic Elite Yarns Fortuna in tone-on-tone colorways. The pattern uses two colors (designated as A and B in the instructions, with C referenced for optional completion of the final garter band). The yarn is worked on needles appropriate for the stated gauge; knitters should note that a looser gauge may result in insufficient yardage to complete the project. The pattern recommends having an extra ball of each color on hand if gauge concerns exist or if the crafter prefers additional yardage security.

Skill Level and Considerations

This shawl is rated as an Intermediate project, suitable for knitters with experience in basic stitches and comfortable working from written pattern instructions. The combination of lace edging, gauge-dependent yardage management, and shaping techniques requires attention to detail and familiarity with decrease methods. The project uses nearly all available yarn, making gauge accuracy important for successful completion.