Malabrigo Ellison Wrap Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Ellison Shawl: Lace Knit Wrap Pattern

What Is Being Made

The Ellison Shawl is a triangular lace shawl designed by the Malabrigo Team. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a sophisticated wrap measuring 23½ inches wide at the cast-on edge and 57½ inches along the straight edge. The shawl is worked flat in a single piece using seamless construction techniques, making it an elegant accessory suitable for layering or draping.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Ellison Shawl employs several key knitting techniques that define its construction and visual appeal:

• Lace knitting: The pattern incorporates yarn overs and knit two-together decreases to create openwork sections, producing the delicate, airy aesthetic characteristic of lace shawls
• Seamless, flat construction: Rather than joining in the round, this shawl is worked back and forth in rows on circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming while maintaining a clean finish
• Strategic decreasing: Decreases are worked every fourth row throughout the pattern, gradually reducing stitches until a single stitch remains, creating the triangular shawl shape
• Garter stitch foundation: The pattern alternates between garter stitch sections and lace rows, providing structural stability and visual texture variation

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Ellison Shawl uses fundamental knitting stitches combined in a structured 18-row repeating pattern:

• Knit stitch (k): The primary building block, worked across multiple rows to create the garter stitch base
• Purl stitch (p): Used in alternating rows to build garter stitch texture and create dimensional interest
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the openwork lace holes that define the shawl's delicate appearance
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used both in the lace pattern rows and as the primary decrease mechanism for shaping the triangular silhouette
• Slip stitch (sl): The first stitch of each row is slipped with yarn held to the front (wyif), creating a neat, finished edge

The 18-row pattern repeat cycles through garter stitch rows (rows 1–10), mixed knit and purl rows (rows 11–14), a lace row featuring yarn overs and decreases (row 15), and additional texture rows (rows 16–18). This pattern repeats 12 times throughout the shawl construction.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Ellison Shawl pattern specifies high-quality materials suited to showcasing the lace design:

• Yarn: Rasta by Malabrigo, a merino wool yarn available in 5.29-ounce (150-gram) hanks with approximately 90 yards (82 meters) per hank. The pattern calls for 3 hanks in colorway #416 Indiecita, providing approximately 270 yards of yardage total
• Needles: One pair of US 15 (10mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60 centimeters) in length. Circular needles are used for their length and flexibility when working flat, accommodating the increasing width of the shawl during initial rows
• Gauge: The pattern is designed to achieve 9 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) when working garter stitch on US 15 needles. Checking gauge before beginning is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements

Pattern Summary

The Ellison Shawl begins with casting on 54 stitches and working the 18-row pattern repeat while simultaneously decreasing one stitch every fourth row. This dual process—maintaining the lace and texture pattern while gradually reducing stitch count—creates a triangular shape that tapers to a single remaining stitch. Light blocking to finished measurements completes the shawl, evening out the lace openings and setting the final dimensions. The intermediate difficulty level reflects the combination of lace techniques, pattern tracking, and shaping required, making this project suitable for knitters with foundational skills seeking to develop lace proficiency.