Tarma Shawl Wrap Knitting Pattern

Tarma Shawl by Lisa Richardson

What is Being Made

The Tarma Shawl is a large triangular wrap designed by Lisa Richardson for Rowan. This finished shawl measures 200 cm (78½ inches) along the cast-on edge and 133 cm (52½ inches) deep, making it a substantial accessory suitable for layering or wrapping. The shawl is photographed in Rowan Alpaca Classic in the colorway Berry Sorbet, showcasing the elegant drape and sophisticated construction of this intermediate-level design.

Techniques Used

The Tarma Shawl employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive structure and aesthetic appeal. The pattern features lace decreasing as a primary design element, with strategic yarn overs and decreases creating openwork throughout the piece. The shawl is constructed using a top-down triangular method, beginning with a cast-on of 440 stitches and progressively decreasing to just 2 stitches by the final row, which creates the characteristic tapered shape.

The construction requires careful attention to tension and stitch count, as each row involves multiple decreases that reduce the stitch count by one or more stitches. The pattern notes that due to the high number of stitches at the beginning, knitters may prefer to start with a circular needle and transition to straight needles as the stitch count decreases. This practical approach accommodates the changing demands of working with a large number of stitches that gradually diminishes throughout the project.

Stitches Used

The Tarma Shawl utilizes a focused selection of fundamental knitting stitches combined in a repeating pattern sequence. The primary stitches include:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P) stitches form the foundational structure
• Knit two together (K2tog) and Purl two together (P2tog) for right-leaning decreases
• Slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso) for left-leaning decreases
• Yarn forward (yfwd) and yarn round needle (yrn) to create the lace openings
• Purl two together through back loop (P2tog tbl) for twisted decreases on wrong-side rows

The pattern repeats rows 3 through 10 a total of 53 times, with each 8-row repeat reducing the stitch count by 8 stitches. This systematic repetition creates the consistent lace pattern that develops throughout the shawl, with the decreases distributed evenly across knit and purl rows to maintain balanced shaping.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Tarma Shawl is designed to be worked in Rowan Alpaca Classic, a luxurious yarn blend. The pattern requires 12 balls of 25 grams each, providing ample yardage for the generous finished dimensions. The sample shown uses the colorway Berry Sorbet, which beautifully displays the lace pattern created by the yarn overs and decreases.

The pattern is worked on one pair of 3¾mm (US size 5) needles. The recommended tension is 22 stitches and 33 rows to 10 centimeters measured over the lace pattern using the specified needle size. Achieving correct tension is essential, as it directly affects both the final dimensions and the drape of the completed shawl. The finishing instructions recommend that the shawl should not be pressed, preserving the natural texture and lace definition of the knitted fabric.

Pattern Structure and Finishing

The pattern provides detailed row-by-row instructions for the entire shawl construction, beginning with the cast-on and continuing through the final bind-off. After completing the main pattern repeats, the final rows transition the remaining stitches to closure, with the last row reducing to just 2 stitches that are fastened off together. The pattern references additional finishing instructions available on the Rowan website for completing the shawl appropriately.