Valley Yarns Limestone Inclusion Shawl Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Limestone Inclusion Shawl

Project Overview

The Limestone Inclusion Shawl is a large, crescent-shaped wrap designed by Fatimah Hinds. This knitted shawl is worked flat from the center neck outward, creating a generous garment with finished measurements of 30 inches at the center depth and 72 inches across the top edge. The design features a simple eyelet pattern reminiscent of leaf spines, enhanced by strategic use of contrast color that adds visual interest and provides a smooth transition into the openwork border.

Knitting Techniques

This advanced beginner project employs several key knitting techniques that build foundational skills while creating sophisticated results:

• Lace Knitting: The shawl incorporates eyelet patterns created through yarn overs that form decorative openwork. These eyelets are strategically placed to echo natural leaf spine formations, adding both visual texture and structural interest.
• Striping: A contrast color is introduced to create visual transitions throughout the piece, particularly leading into the openwork border. This color work adds depth without requiring complex colorwork techniques.
• Increases and Shaping: The pattern uses strategic yarn overs and increases to expand the shawl from the center neck outward. The construction begins with a small cast-on and grows through repeated increase rows that shape the crescent silhouette.
• Marker Placement: Stitch markers are essential for tracking the shawl's structure and managing the multiple increase sections that define the garment's geometry.
• Cable Techniques: The pattern includes 1/1 right cable crosses (1/1RC), created by slipping one stitch to a cable needle, holding it to the back, knitting one stitch, then knitting the held stitch from the cable needle.

Stitches Used

The Limestone Inclusion Shawl relies on fundamental stitches executed with precision:

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary fabric base, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side. The pattern notes that exact gauge is not critical, making this accessible for advancing knitters.
• Yarn Overs (YO): These create the eyelet openwork that defines the shawl's lace character. Yarn overs are strategically placed in both knit and purl rows to form the leaf spine motif.
• Slip Stitches (SL1): Used for edge stitches worked as slip one stitch as if to purl with yarn held to the wrong side, creating clean, finished edges.
• Cable Crosses: The 1/1 right cable stitch adds textural variation and structural interest to the design.

Materials and Gauge

The Limestone Inclusion Shawl is worked using Valley Yarns Colrain, a blend of 50% Merino wool and 50% Tencel per 50-gram skein yielding 109 yards. The main color is Ocean Heather, with Natural serving as the contrast color. The project requires 7 skeins of the main color and 1 skein of the contrast color.

Needles are sized US 10 (6.00mm) and US 9 (5.50mm) in circular needle format. A 24-inch circular needle in the larger size is used for the initial setup, while 60-inch circular needles in both sizes accommodate the expanding width as the shawl grows. Additional notions include stitch markers, a cable needle for cable crosses, and a tapestry needle for finishing.

The working gauge is approximately 4 stitches to 1 inch in stockinette stitch. The pattern specifically notes that exact gauge is not critical for this project, making it forgiving for knitters still refining their tension control.

Construction Method

The shawl begins with a small cast-on of 9 stitches using the larger needles and shorter cable. After working 5 rows in stockinette stitch, stitches are picked up along both edges to create the foundation for the crescent shape. The pattern then progresses through a series of increase rows that expand the piece in multiple directions simultaneously. Rows 1 through 4 establish the increase pattern, which is repeated strategically to achieve the final dimensions. The combination of yarn overs and knit/purl increases creates both the lace openwork and the shawl's three-dimensional shaping.