Filatura Di Crosa Heart & Soul Lace Shawl Knitting Pattern

Filatura Di Crosa Heart & Soul Lace Shawl

Project Overview

The Heart & Soul Lace Shawl is a luxurious knitted scarf designed by Irina Poludnenko. This elegant accessory measures 21 inches by 60 inches (53.5cm by 152.5cm) in a one-size design, making it a versatile piece suitable for various styling occasions. The shawl combines fine fibers and intricate lace work to create a sophisticated, lightweight wrap.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a rectangular lace shawl worked in a seamless, flat construction. The finished piece features delicate openwork patterning throughout the body, framed by garter stitch borders on both the top and bottom edges. The shawl is designed to drape beautifully and provide warmth without bulk, making it an ideal accessory for layering or wearing as a lightweight wrap.

Techniques Used

The Heart & Soul Lace Shawl is constructed using several key knitting techniques:

• Bottom-up construction: The shawl is worked from the cast-on edge upward to the bind-off, allowing knitters to easily adjust the length as desired.
• Seamless, flat knitting: The entire piece is worked flat on straight needles without seaming, creating a continuous, unified fabric.
• Lace pattern work: The central body features an intricate lace pattern that creates openwork designs through strategic yarn overs and decreases.
• Garter stitch borders: The top and bottom edges are finished with garter stitch (knitting every row) to create a stable, non-curling edge that frames the delicate lace center.

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a variety of fundamental and decorative knitting stitches:

• Garter stitch: Created by knitting every row, this stitch forms the border sections and provides structural stability to the shawl edges.
• Yarn overs (yo): These create the openwork holes characteristic of lace patterns and add visual interest to the design.
• Knit 3 together (k3tog): A triple decrease that removes three stitches in one action, used to create the dramatic openwork effects in the lace pattern.
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease that pairs with other decreases to balance the lace pattern and maintain stitch count.
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A right-leaning double decrease used throughout the lace pattern to shape the openwork.
• Purl stitches: Used selectively on wrong-side rows and as edge stitches to maintain pattern consistency.
• Slip stitches: Used at the beginning of rows for edge definition and a polished appearance.

Lace Pattern Structure

The lace pattern is an 8-stitch repeat (plus 3 edge stitches) worked over 8 rows. The pattern alternates between openwork rows featuring yarn overs paired with decreases, and purl rows that allow the lace to develop dimensionally. The pattern is repeated 42 times or until the desired length is achieved, with the shawl worked approximately ½ inch shorter than the final desired measurement to account for blocking.

Materials and Yarn

The Heart & Soul Lace Shawl is designed to showcase premium luxury fibers:

• Filatura Di Crosa SUPERIOR: Two balls in color #30 orchid, composed of 70% cashmere, 25% schappe silk, and 5% extrafine merino wool. Each ball contains 0.88 ounces (25 grams) and yields 330 yards (300 meters).
• Filatura Di Crosa NIRVANA: Two balls in color #31 light fuchsia, made of 100% extrafine merino wool. Each ball contains 0.88 ounces (25 grams) and yields 372 yards (340 meters).
• Yarn held together: One strand each of the SUPERIOR and NIRVANA yarns are held together throughout the pattern, creating a blended yarn with enhanced texture and visual depth from the color combination.

Needles and Tools