Malabrigo Lehigh Wrap Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Lehigh Knit Shawl

What is Being Made

The Malabrigo Lehigh is a wide-angle triangular shawl designed by Melanie Berg, featured in Malabrigo Book 10 Rios. This intermediate-level knit project produces a generous wrap with a finished width of 104 inches (264 cm) across the top edge and a center depth of 21 inches (53 cm). The shawl is worked flat from the point upward, making it an ideal project for knitters seeking a substantial, elegant accessory with visual interest and practical size.

Techniques Used

The Lehigh employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive structure and appearance:

• Bottom-up construction: The shawl is worked from the triangle point upward, with increases strategically placed on each side of every row to create the expanding triangular silhouette.
• Yarn overs and increases: A yarn over (yo) is worked at the beginning of each row, immediately after the first knit stitch, combined with kfb (knit front and back) increases to shape the shawl edges.
• Stripe patterning: Color changes between Plomo (A) and Arco Iris (B) create horizontal stripes throughout the piece, alternating between pattern sections.
• Placed bud pattern: A decorative bud motif is strategically placed within the striped sections, adding textural and visual variation to the flat stockinette background.
• Decrease sequences: Rows incorporate multiple knit-two-together (k2tog) decreases worked in groups of six, creating lacy or textured effects within the bud pattern areas.

Stitches Used

The Lehigh utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in a structured pattern repeat:

• Knit (k): The primary stitch forming the base fabric in garter stitch.
• Yarn over (yo): Creates decorative holes and contributes to the shaping increases.
• Knit front and back (kfb): An increase stitch used at the shawl edges to expand the triangle.
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used within the bud pattern sections to create texture and definition.
• Garter stitch: The foundational stitch pattern, created by knitting every row, providing a reversible, textured fabric with excellent drape.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Lehigh pattern calls for Malabrigo Rios yarn, a super-wash merino wool blend offered in 3½-ounce (100-gram) hanks with approximately 210 yards (192 meters) per hank. The project requires 4 hanks in colorway #43 Plomo (the primary color for stripe sections and main fabric) and 2 hanks in colorway #806 Arco Iris (the contrasting color for accent stripes and bud pattern rows).

Needles and notions include a size 7 (4.5mm) circular needle measuring 40 inches (100 cm) long, used to accommodate the expanding stitch count as the shawl grows from point to top edge. A size F (3.75mm) crochet hook is also required, likely for finishing or edge work. Additional notions include a clip-on stitch marker for tracking pattern repeats and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge and Construction Details

The pattern specifies a gauge of 16 stitches and 40 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in garter stitch and placed bud pattern using the size 7 (4.5mm) needle. Achieving proper gauge is essential, as it directly affects the final dimensions of the shawl. The construction follows a repeating sequence: the shawl begins with a small number of stitches at the point and increases systematically through multiple pattern sections. Each section consists of 16 rows worked in color A, followed by 26 rows of the striped and bud pattern repeat (rows 1–26), with stitch counts building progressively to reach the final 316+ stitches at the top edge. This methodical approach ensures balanced shaping and even color distribution throughout the finished piece.