Noro Faeroese Style Shawl Wrap Knitting Pattern

Noro Faeroese-Style Shawl

What is Being Made

The Noro Faeroese-Style Shawl is a triangular lace shawl designed in the traditional Faeroese style. This garment measures approximately 60 inches wide at the base and 25 inches at the center length, making it a generous wrap suitable for layering or wearing as a statement accessory. The shawl is worked from the top down in a seamless construction, creating a unified piece without seams or joins.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its elegant drape and structure:

• Top-Down Construction: The shawl is worked beginning at the top and progressing downward, allowing knitters to try on the piece during creation and customize the final length as desired.
• Seamless Knitting: The entire shawl is created as one continuous piece without seaming, resulting in a smooth, professional finish.
• Lace Patterning: Decorative lace elements are incorporated throughout the design, creating openwork sections that enhance the shawl's visual interest and ethereal quality.
• Worked Flat: Despite using a circular needle, the shawl is worked flat rather than in the round, allowing for traditional flat knitting techniques across the width of the piece.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches and techniques:

• Garter Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the shawl, providing structure and texture. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row, resulting in horizontal ridges on both sides of the fabric.
• Yarn Overs: Used to create the lace openwork sections, yarn overs add new stitches and form decorative holes in the fabric.
• Decreases: Slip, slip, knit (SSK) and similar decrease techniques are employed to shape the shawl and maintain stitch count while creating the triangular silhouette.
• Selvage Stitches: Edge stitches are maintained throughout to ensure neat, finished edges and facilitate any future seaming if needed.
• Stitch Markers: Used to denote pattern repeats and shaping points, helping knitters track their progress through the pattern.

Materials Required

The Noro Faeroese-Style Shawl calls for specific materials to achieve the intended appearance and drape:

• Yarn: Two rolls of Noro Rainbow Roll in colorway #1009. The pattern notes that pencil roving (the yarn construction used in Rainbow Roll) is delicate and requires careful handling to avoid pulling stitches too tightly on the needle.
• Needles: One size US 10/6mm circular needle measuring 40 inches in length. The circular needle is used to accommodate the large number of stitches required for the shawl's width, though the piece is worked flat rather than joined in the round.
• Notions: Stitch markers (either contrasting yarn loops or purchased markers) to track pattern repeats and construction points.

Gauge and Difficulty Level

The pattern is rated as Easy, making it accessible to knitters with basic experience. The gauge is 15 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches when worked in garter stitch using size US 10/6mm needles. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished shawl achieves the intended measurements and drape.