Tahki Yarns Lassen Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Lassen Knitted Shawl

What Is Being Made

The Lassen is a rectangular knitted shawl designed by Rosemary Drysdale. This beginner-friendly wrap measures approximately 20½ inches wide by 63 inches long, making it an ideal accessory for layering or draping. The shawl is worked flat from a single cast-on edge, creating a versatile piece suitable for various occasions and styling options.

Knitting Techniques

This pattern employs several fundamental and decorative knitting techniques:

• Lace work: The Eyelet Pattern creates openwork sections throughout the shawl, featuring yarn overs and decreases that form delicate, breathable fabric. This technique is repeated 14 times across the body of the shawl, with an additional partial repeat to achieve the desired length.
• Stripes: Color changes between Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed Fine in denim, sage, and tomato create horizontal striping. The pattern alternates between colors in a structured sequence, with yarn carried loosely along the side edges to minimize finishing work.
• Stockinette stitch: Smooth knit-purl fabric forms the foundation of the eyelet pattern sections and creates the main body texture.
• Worked flat: The shawl is constructed using straight needles rather than circular needles, with all rows worked back and forth from cast-on to bind-off.
• Seamed construction: Edge stitches are maintained throughout to facilitate finishing, though specific seaming details are referenced in the pattern notes.

Stitches Used

The Lassen pattern incorporates essential knitting stitches suitable for beginner crafters:

• Knit and purl stitches: Form the basis of stockinette stitch sections and create textural contrast within the eyelet pattern.
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the decorative holes characteristic of lace work, increasing stitch count and allowing for the subsequent decreases.
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used on right-side rows to balance yarn overs and shape the lace.
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease worked on right-side rows for directional shaping within the eyelet pattern.
• Purl two together (p2tog): Worked on wrong-side rows to maintain pattern consistency.
• Slip stitch with yarn in front (sl 1 wyif): Used at row beginnings to create neat, finished edges.

Materials and Gauge

The Lassen pattern calls for Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed Fine, a blend of 70% wool and 30% mohair. This yarn composition provides warmth, drape, and subtle texture. The pattern requires 2 skeins each of color #2717 denim (A) and #2713 sage (B), plus 1 skein of color #2709 tomato (C). Each skein weighs 1.75 ounces and contains 218 yards of yardage.

Construction uses size 7 (4.5mm) needles, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge. The recommended gauge is 18 stitches and 23 rows over 4 inches in the Eyelet Pattern. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished shawl meets the specified measurements. A yarn needle is required for weaving in ends during finishing.

Pattern Structure

The Lassen follows a repeating 24-row pattern sequence that combines stockinette stitch sections with the Eyelet Pattern. The shawl begins with a 4-row garter stitch edge in color A, followed by the introduction of color B. The main body repeats the 24-row pattern 14 times, with an additional partial repeat of rows 1–6 to reach the target length of approximately 62½ inches. The pattern concludes with a 4-row garter stitch edge in color A before binding off. The Lace Edging chart provides a visual reference for the eyelet decreases and yarn overs that create the openwork sections.