Juniper Moon Farm Royal Arches Shawl Wrap Knitting Pattern

Juniper Moon Farm Royal Arches Shawl

What is Being Made

The Royal Arches shawl is a triangular wrap designed by Jenna Swanson Herriot and inspired by the Royal Arches boulder formation in Yosemite National Park. This cozy shawl measures 63 inches wide by 22 inches deep, making it a versatile accessory suitable for casual everyday wear or outdoor activities. The design captures the natural aesthetic of rock formations through its construction and colorwork.

Design Inspiration and Aesthetic

Named after a distinctive geological landmark, the Royal Arches shawl translates natural landscape features into textile form. The lace panels are engineered to evoke the curved contours found in rock formations, while the two-color striping technique represents the natural striations and shadow patterns visible in stone. This approach to design demonstrates how knitting can interpret and celebrate natural environments.

Techniques Used

The Royal Arches shawl employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance:

• Lace knitting: Decorative openwork created through strategic yarn overs and decreases that form the curved lace panels reminiscent of natural rock formations
• Stripes: Two contrasting colors are worked in alternating rows throughout the shawl to create visual interest and represent natural color variations
• Worked flat: The shawl is constructed flat on circular needles rather than in the round, allowing for traditional row-by-row construction
• Garter stitch base: The foundation uses garter stitch, a fundamental technique created by knitting every row, providing texture and stability
• Increases: Strategic increases using yarn overs and make-one stitches expand the shawl from a small cast-on to its full triangular dimensions

Stitches Used

The pattern incorporates a focused selection of stitches to create its textural and visual effects:

• Knit stitch (k): The primary stitch forming the base structure and garter stitch sections
• Purl stitch (p): Used selectively for textural variation
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the openwork lace panels and contributes to the shawl's drape and visual interest
• Make one (m1): An invisible increase worked by inserting the left needle under the strand between stitches and knitting into the back loop, used for seamless shaping
• Slip, knit, pass slipped stitches over (s2kp2): A centered double decrease that reduces two stitches while maintaining balanced shaping
• Purl three together (p3tog): A decrease technique that reduces three stitches to one

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The Royal Arches shawl is worked in Juniper Moon Farm HeRRiOt, a yarn specifically chosen for its color palette and working properties. The main color (MC) is 2 hanks in color #1010 Plum Heather, providing a rich, muted purple tone. The contrast color (CC) is 2 hanks in color #1014 Yellow Heather, offering a warm, earthy accent that creates the striped pattern and represents natural color variations.

Needles: The pattern calls for US 6 (4mm) circular needles measuring 40 inches (100 cm) in length. Circular needles are used for their ability to accommodate the increasing number of stitches as the shawl expands from its small starting point to its full width, despite the shawl being worked flat rather than in the round.

Notions and Gauge: Six stitch markers are required to track pattern repeats and shaping sections throughout the construction. A tapestry needle is needed for weaving in yarn ends. The pattern is worked to a gauge of 14 stitches and 12 rows over 4 inches in garter stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions.

Construction Method

The shawl begins with a small garter stitch tab that serves as the foundation. After working 18 rows, the knitter rotates the work and picks up stitches along the edges to establish the base triangle. From this foundation, the shawl expands through strategic increases worked in repeating rows, with color changes creating the distinctive striped pattern. The lace panels develop through the combination of yarn overs and decreases, creating the visual representation of