Tahki Yarns Arlee Shawl Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Arlee Shawl

Project Overview

The Arlee Shawl is a beginner-friendly knitted wrap designed by Susan Baron. This shawl features a generous triangular silhouette with approximate finished dimensions of 70 inches in length and 53 inches in height, making it an ideal accessory for layering and warmth. The design combines elegant lace elements with classic stockinette stitch construction, creating a versatile piece suitable for various occasions.

What Is Being Made

The Arlee Shawl is a large triangular wrap knitted in one size. The shawl begins with a small number of stitches that gradually increase through strategic yarn overs and decreases, building to a substantial wrap that measures approximately 70 inches long and 53 inches high after blocking. The construction method involves working a central strip first, then picking up stitches along the edge to create the main wrap body.

Knitting Techniques

This pattern employs several fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for beginner-level crafters:

• Lace knitting: The shawl incorporates yarn overs combined with decreases to create openwork lace patterns that add visual interest and drape to the finished piece
• Worked flat: The shawl is constructed flat on circular needles rather than in the round, making it accessible for knitters comfortable with traditional flat knitting methods
• Seamed construction: The pattern involves working separate sections—an edging strip and the main wrap body—that are joined together through the pickup-and-knit technique, which creates a seamless integration between sections
• Stitch pickup: After completing the initial edging strip, stitches are picked up along the edge at a ratio of three stitches for every four rows, a technique that allows the shawl to expand from a narrow strip into a full wrap

Stitches Used

The Arlee Shawl pattern utilizes several essential knitting stitches:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary fabric stitch, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side, providing a smooth, classic finish
• Reverse Stockinette Stitch (Rev St st): The inverse of stockinette stitch, created by purling on the right side and knitting on the wrong side, used in alternating stripes to add textural variation
• Yarn overs (yo): Decorative increases that create the lace elements throughout the pattern, formed by wrapping yarn around the needle to add both stitches and openwork
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used to shape the shawl and balance yarn overs in lace sections
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease employed in certain sections for directional shaping
• Purl two together (p2tog): A decrease worked on purl rows, used in both the edging pattern and main wrap sections
• Slip, slip, purl (ssp): The purl-side equivalent of ssk, providing a left-leaning decrease on wrong-side rows

Materials and Tools

The Arlee Shawl pattern calls for specific materials to achieve the intended drape and finished appearance:

• Yarn: 15 balls of Tahki Yarns Whistler, a blend of 80% superwash wool and 20% kid mohair. Each ball weighs 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and provides 99 yards (90 meters) of yardage. The specified colorway is #008 plum. This yarn blend combines the durability and elasticity of superwash wool with the softness and halo effect of kid mohair, creating a luxurious fabric with excellent drape suitable for lace shawls
• Needles: One size 5 (3.75mm) circular needle measuring 40 inches (100 centimeters). The circular needle accommodates the increasing stitch count as the shawl expands, and the 40-inch length provides adequate space for working flat
• Notions: A yarn needle for weaving in ends, and locking stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and marking significant points in the construction

Gauge

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