Universal Yarn Fouette Wrap Knitting Pattern

Universal Yarn Fouetté Knit Shawl

What Is Being Made

The Fouetté is a gracefully curved, fast-growing shawl designed by Amy Gunderson and named for the 32 Fouettés featured in the ballet Swan Lake. This elegant accessory measures 75½" in length and 29½" at its widest point, making it a substantial wrap suitable for draping over the shoulders. The shawl is worked in one size and features a distinctive boomerang shape created through strategic increases and decreases.

Techniques Used

This knit shawl employs several key techniques to achieve its elegant design:

• Seamless construction: The shawl is worked as a single continuous piece without seams, allowing for smooth, uninterrupted fabric flow.
• Lace edging: A Feather and Fan lace edging is worked along two sides of the shawl body, adding delicate visual interest and a refined finish.
• Striped colorwork: Beautiful stripes shift in size throughout the piece, created by alternating between two colors (Gargoyle and Indigo) in distinct sections. Colors are broken after each stripe rather than carried up the side of the work.
• Flat knitting: The shawl is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, allowing for the shaped construction necessary to create the boomerang silhouette.

Stitches Used

The Fouetté pattern relies on fundamental knitting stitches combined in strategic ways:

• Garter stitch: The primary stitch throughout the shawl body, created by knitting every row. This classic stitch pairs with the Universal Yarn Odette fiber to create a lovely, cushiony fabric with excellent drape and visual texture.
• Knit front and back (kfb): Used for increases along one edge of the shawl, allowing stitches to grow gradually and evenly.
• Knit two together (k2tog): Used for decreases along the opposite edge, creating the balanced shaping that produces the characteristic boomerang form.
• Feather and Fan lace: An ornamental edging stitch worked along two sides of the completed shawl body, adding an elegant finishing touch.

Materials and Specifications

The Fouetté is worked using Universal Yarn Odette, a premium blend fiber composed of 61% superwash fine merino, 22% nylon, and 17% alpaca. This fiber combination provides durability, softness, and easy care. The yarn is worked at a gauge of 20 stitches and 40 rows over 4 inches in garter stitch.

The pattern calls for three skeins each of two colorways: 110 Gargoyle (main color) and 105 Indigo (contrasting color). Each skein contains 241 yards of yarn, providing ample yardage for the complete shawl. Needles required are US Size 7 (4.5 mm) circular needles, 40 inches or longer to accommodate the increasing number of stitches as the shawl grows. Additional notions include a tapestry needle for finishing, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, and a removable stitch marker for gauge checking.