Juniper Moon Farm Catalan Wrap Knitting Pattern

Zooey Catalan Shawlette by Tabetha Hedrick

What Is Being Made

The Zooey Catalan shawlette is a shallow triangular wrap designed for knitters seeking an elegant, wearable accessory. This downloadable knitting pattern produces a finished shawlette with a wingspan of 59¼ inches (150.5 cm) and a depth of 21 inches (53 cm), making it an ideal size for draping across the shoulders or wearing as a decorative wrap. The design combines traditional shawl construction with sophisticated stitch work to create a garment that balances visual interest with wearability.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Zooey Catalan shawlette employs several intermediate knitting techniques that add depth and dimension to the finished piece. The shawl is worked sideways, a construction method that builds the triangular shape through strategic increases and decreases worked into the stitch pattern rather than relying on traditional top-down or bottom-up shaping. This sideways approach allows the catalan stitch pattern to flow naturally across the width of the shawl.

The pattern utilizes charted instructions, which provide a visual representation of the stitch sequences and are worked from charts rather than written-out row-by-row directions. Knitters will work through multiple chart repeats to build the shawl to its finished dimensions. The construction begins with a small cast-on of just 4 stitches, which is increased through the body of the shawl before being decreased back down to 4 stitches at the completion of the main shawl body.

A decorative border is added after the main shawl is complete. This border is picked up and knit along the bottom edge of the finished shawl, requiring knitters to pick up 201 stitches evenly across the edge. The border features a chain-bind-off technique that creates a finished, decorative edge with a scalloped appearance, adding a professional and polished final touch to the completed shawlette.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch pattern used throughout the Zooey Catalan shawlette is the catalan stitch, a multi-stitch repeat pattern that forms the visual foundation of the design. The catalan stitch is worked over a 10-stitch multiple and repeats over 8 rows, creating a balanced, geometric pattern.

The catalan stitch sequence includes the following elements:

• Yarn overs (yo) that create decorative eyelets and lace elements throughout the pattern
• Central decreases (s2kp) worked as slip 2 stitches together knitwise, knit 1, then pass the slipped stitches over the knit stitch, which creates a centered double decrease that balances the yarn overs
• Knit and purl stitches that form the structural foundation and create texture variation
• Knit-front-and-back increases (kfb) used during the initial setup rows to establish the working stitch count

The pattern combines stockinette stitch sections (knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows) with the patterned catalan stitch rows to create visual rhythm and interest. The interplay between solid stitch areas and the lacy catalan pattern sections produces a shawlette with both substance and delicate detailing.

The border employs a chain-bind-off technique, where stitches are cast on and bound off in sequence to create a decorative edge. This finishing technique requires slipping stitches back to the left needle between bind-off sections, a method that produces a refined, scalloped border finish.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Zooey Catalan shawlette is designed to be worked using 2 balls of Juniper Moon Farm Zooey yarn, each weighing 100 grams. The pattern specifies color #25 Twilight blue, a sophisticated blue-toned colorway that complements the lace and texture elements of the catalan stitch pattern. The total yardage available from two 100-gram balls provides sufficient length to complete the shawlette to its full finished wingspan and depth measurements.

Knitters will need a pair of US size 7 (4.5 mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60 cm) in length. Circular needles are essential for this pattern, as they accommodate the increasing stitch count during the shawl construction and allow for comfortable working of the large number of stitches required as the shawlette expands. A tapestry needle is also required for weaving in yarn ends during the finishing process.

Gauge and Finishing