Zen Yarn Garden Monarca Shawl Wrap Knitting Pattern

Zen Yarn Garden Monarca Shawl

What Is Being Made

The Monarca Shawl is a top-down, triangular-shaped shawl with a finished size of 68 inches by 30 inches (173 cm by 76 cm). Named after the Monarch butterfly, the shawl design features a simple lace body that evokes images of crawling caterpillars, while the larger lace border takes on the shape of a butterfly wing. The shawl is worked flat on circular needles and is designed as a seamless construction.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several key techniques to create its distinctive appearance:

• Top-down construction: The shawl is worked from the top downward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as it grows and customize the final size if desired.
• Lace knitting: Both the body and border feature lace patterning created through yarn overs and decreases, producing an openwork fabric with decorative motifs.
• Stripes: Optional colour striping is available using two coordinating colourways, with the pattern designating a main colour and secondary colour. Knitters may choose to work with one or two colours as preferred.
• Seamless, flat construction: The shawl is worked flat on circular needles without seaming, creating a continuous, unified fabric.

Stitches Used

The Monarca Shawl pattern utilizes fundamental lace and shaping stitches common to triangular shawl construction:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) for establishing the fabric base and edge definition
• Yarn over (yo) to create the openwork lace holes and increase stitches
• Knit 2 together (k2tog) and knit 2 together through back loop (k2tog tbl) for decreasing and shaping
• Slip stitches including slip 1 (sl1), slip stitch (sl st), and variations like sl1 k1 psso (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over) and sl1 k2tog psso for decorative decreases
• Pass slipped stitch over (psso) to complete decrease sequences

The pattern is provided in chart format, allowing visual reference for lace motif placement and colour changes.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Monarca Shawl requires approximately 615 yards (560 metres) of fingering weight yarn. The pattern is designed using Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Sock, a premium blend of 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon. Each skein provides 400 yards at 4 ounces, so two skeins are needed to complete the project. The sample shown features two colourways: Mossy Oak and In the Bloom.

Needles and Gauge

The shawl is worked on US 6/4 mm circular needles (40 inches in length) for the main construction, with a US 8/5 mm circular needle used only for the bind-off. The pattern is worked to a gauge of 20 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches when blocked, which is typical for fingering weight lace knitting.

Additional Supplies

To complete the Monarca Shawl, knitters will need a darning needle for weaving in ends, blocking mats and pins (optional but recommended for opening up the lace), and stitch markers (optional, though helpful for marking the centre stitch and edges during construction).