Valley Yarns Eliska Shawl Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Eliska Shawl

What Is Being Made

The Eliska Shawl is a lace knit wrap designed by Kirsten Hipsky, measuring 60 inches long and 24 inches wide. This seamless, flat-worked shawl features a simple yet visually striking garter stitch chevron lace pattern that creates an elegant drape despite its beginner-friendly construction. The design showcases the rich, hand-dyed colors of Valley Yarns Northfield yarn, with the pattern appearing far more complex than the straightforward techniques required to create it.

Techniques Used

The Eliska Shawl employs fundamental lace knitting techniques combined with garter stitch construction. The pattern utilizes an irregular chevron motif worked flat on circular needles, building the shawl through repetitive rows. Key techniques include:

• Lace construction: Created through yarn overs and knit-two-together decreases that form the characteristic chevron pattern
• Seamless, flat-worked design: The shawl is worked in one continuous piece without seaming, using circular needles worked back and forth in rows rather than in the round
• Closed increases: Yarn overs are worked through the back loop on subsequent rows to create closed increases rather than eyelet holes, maintaining the integrity of the chevron pattern
• Color blending: Optional technique of alternating between skeins every two rows to avoid visible color blocks in the hand-dyed yarn

Stitches Used

The Eliska Shawl pattern relies on a limited stitch vocabulary, making it accessible to beginner knitters:

• Knit (K): The primary stitch, used throughout the garter stitch rows
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease that forms the structural decreases within the chevron lace pattern
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the openwork lace elements and paired with decreases to maintain stitch count

The pattern repeats a simple two-row sequence: Row 2 combines knit stitches, decreases, and yarn overs to create the chevron motif, while Row 3 is worked entirely in knit stitches with special attention to working yarn overs through the back loop.

Materials

The Eliska Shawl requires Valley Yarns Northfield Hand-Dyed yarn, a premium blend consisting of 70% Merino wool, 20% Baby Alpaca, and 10% Silk. Each skein provides 100 grams and 248 yards, with the complete shawl requiring 5 skeins in the Tamarind colorway. The pattern is worked on US size 7 (4.50mm) circular needles measuring 40 inches in length, or whatever needle size is necessary to achieve proper gauge. Optional stitch markers (12 total) may be used to track pattern repeats and help maintain accuracy throughout the project. The recommended gauge is 4.5 stitches per inch in garter stitch and 5.5 stitches per inch in the lace stitch pattern.