Tahki Yarns Alsea Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Alsea Lace Shawl

What is Being Made

The Alsea is a crescent-shaped lace shawl designed by Susan Baron. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a finished piece measuring 52 inches wide by 25 inches long, making it an elegant wrap suitable for layering or draping. The shawl is worked in a single size with a luxurious construction that showcases both stockinette and lace stitch sections.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its refined aesthetic:

• Top-down construction: The shawl begins with a small cast-on of just 4 stitches and increases progressively outward, allowing you to customize the finished size by stopping at any point during the pattern.
• Seamless knitting: The entire shawl is worked in one continuous piece without seaming, creating a smooth, unified fabric.
• Worked flat: Despite using circular needles, the shawl is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round, making it accessible for knitters who prefer flat construction.
• Lace patterning: The design incorporates an intricate lace section featuring yarn overs and decreases that create openwork motifs, adding visual interest and an airy quality to the finished wrap.

Stitches Used

The Alsea pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in strategic ways:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): Forms the base of the shawl, consisting of knit stitches on right-side rows and purl stitches on wrong-side rows, creating a smooth, classic fabric.
• Yarn overs (yo): Used throughout to create decorative holes and lacy texture while simultaneously increasing stitch count.
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in the lace section to balance yarn overs and create patterned decreases.
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease that pairs with k2tog to create symmetrical lace motifs.
• Make 1 left (M1L) and Make 1 right (M1R): Invisible increase techniques that add stitches while maintaining the shawl's clean lines. These are worked by lifting the strand between needles and knitting through the back loop to prevent holes.
• Purl two together (p2tog) and slip, slip, purl (ssp): Decreases worked on wrong-side rows to maintain pattern continuity.
• Stitch markers: Used to denote the center stitches and increase points, helping you track pattern placement throughout the construction.

Materials

The Alsea pattern calls for specific materials to achieve the intended drape and finished gauge:

• Yarn: 3 balls of Tahki Yarns Everest in color #8 sky. This yarn blend contains 70% baby alpaca, 7% merino wool, and 23% polyamide. Each ball weighs 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and provides 143 yards (131 meters) of yardage, for a total of approximately 429 yards.
• Needles: One size 10½ (6.5mm) circular needle, 40 inches long, used for the main body of the shawl. One size 10 (6mm) circular needle, 40 inches long, used for the lace section. Circular needles allow for the flat construction method while accommodating the increasing stitch count.
• Notions: Stitch markers to track pattern repeats and a yarn needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 13 stitches and 21 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch when worked on the larger needle. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure your finished shawl meets the intended measurements of 52 inches wide by 25 inches long.