Valley Yarns Pinion Feather Wrap Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Pinion Feather Wrap

What Is Being Made

The Pinion Feather Wrap is a warm and elegant knitted wrap designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This finished piece measures 60 inches long and 24 inches wide, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering or draping. The wrap features an unusual variation on the classic Feather and Fan stitch pattern, which creates a lightly biased fabric with visual interest and texture.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance and construction:

• Lace knitting: The pattern incorporates yarn overs and decreases that create an open, airy lace structure characteristic of the Feather and Fan variation
• Seamless construction: The wrap is worked flat on circular needles without requiring seaming, resulting in a finished piece with clean edges
• Worked flat: Rather than working in the round, this pattern is created by working back and forth in rows, allowing for the biased fabric effect
• Stitch markers: Optional stitch markers are placed at each pattern repeat to help knitters keep their place throughout the project

Stitches Used

The Pinion Feather Wrap utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in a repeating pattern:

• Knit (K): Basic knit stitch used throughout the garter stitch sections and pattern rows
• Purl (P): Purl stitch used on wrong-side rows to create texture and structure
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the open lace holes that characterize the Feather and Fan variation, adding visual lightness to the fabric
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A left-leaning decrease used to balance the yarn overs and create the feather pattern's distinctive shaping

The pattern repeats a four-row sequence: a knit row, a purl row, and two rows featuring the lace pattern with decreases and yarn overs. This repetition continues until the wrap reaches the desired 60-inch length.

Materials and Gauge

The Pinion Feather Wrap requires 10 skeins of Valley Yarns Northfield yarn, a premium blend composed of 70% Merino wool, 20% baby alpaca, and 10% silk. Each skein weighs 50 grams and contains 124 yards of yarn, providing both warmth and elegance to the finished wrap. The color featured in the pattern is Summer Plum.

US size 7 (4.50mm) circular needles measuring 40 inches are recommended, though needle size may be adjusted to achieve the proper gauge. The project also calls for 12 optional stitch markers to assist with pattern tracking.

Proper gauge is essential for this project: 4.5 stitches equals 1 inch in garter stitch, and 5.5 stitches equals 1 inch in the lace stitch pattern. Knitters should swatch before beginning to ensure their tension matches these specifications, as gauge directly affects the finished dimensions of the wrap.