Louet Monica Wrap Knitting Pattern

Louet Monica Knitted Lace Shawl

What Is Being Made

The Monica is an elegant knitted lace shawl and wrap designed by Trudy Van Stralen, the past-president of Louet North America. This finished piece measures 16¾ inches wide by 80 inches long, making it a generous stole suitable for draping around the shoulders as a sophisticated layering piece. The design showcases delicate lace patterning throughout, creating an airy, refined garment that adds elegance to any wardrobe.

Techniques Used

This shawl is worked flat on straight needles from one end to the other, using lace knitting techniques. The lace construction relies on strategic yarn overs and decreases to create openwork patterns that are characteristic of fine lace shawls. The pattern features multiple yarn overs wrapped around the needle four times in certain rows, which are then dropped in subsequent rows to create intentional openwork effects. The design employs both charted and written instructions, allowing knitters to follow either format based on personal preference.

Stitches Used

The Monica pattern incorporates fundamental knitting stitches combined in a lace motif:

• Garter stitch – knit every row, used for edge definition
• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches – form the base fabric
• Yarn over (yo) – creates the openwork and lace holes essential to the design
• Knit two together (ktog) – a right-leaning decrease
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) – a left-leaning decrease that pairs with yarn overs for balanced lace
• Purl two together (p2tog) and purl two together through back loops (p2togtbl) – decreases worked on purl rows

The stitch count changes with every row as decreases and yarn overs are strategically placed throughout the lace pattern, creating the dynamic openwork characteristic of lace shawls.

Materials

The Monica is worked in Colinton Lace Weight yarn in the color Silver, requiring 2 skeins. Colinton is a 100% kid mohair yarn that provides an extremely soft and luxurious feel. Each 50-gram skein contains 225 yards of yarn, offering excellent yardage for this generous-sized wrap.

The pattern calls for US 9 (5.5 mm) needles and includes the use of stitch markers to help track pattern repeats. The recommended gauge is 16 stitches by 20 rows over 4 inches when worked in pattern, though the pattern notes that gauge is not critical for this design, allowing for flexibility in finished dimensions.

Design History

The Monica was originally designed by Trudy Van Stralen using the discontinued KidLin yarn that she developed. Lynda Rossetti, Van Stralen's assistant for over 15 years, reworked the pattern to showcase the Colinton yarn, maintaining the elegant aesthetic of the original while utilizing this exceptionally soft and luxurious fiber. This collaboration between designer and assistant demonstrates the adaptability of classic lace patterns across different yarn bases.