Well, now you have this pile of beautiful stitch markers, what to do with them? How about making a really cool lacey shawl? I realize the “shawl” word is kind of old-lady-y, but whatever. They’re basically just triangular scarves, so what’s not to like?
I’m using Blue Moon Marine Silk Worsted yarn , but you can use whatever you want. I think this shawl looks best in a heavy, drapey yarn, but feel free to use whatever you want. I am always prepared to be wrong. My shawl is quite small, just big enough to go around my neck and tuck into the collar of my coat. If you want a bigger shawl, repeat rows 2 and 3 of the shawl body until you have 200, 224, or 248 stitches, and increase the number of times you work the lace pattern.
Materials:
1 skein Blue Moon Marine Silk Worsted (243 yards) or whatever the heck you feel like using.
Size 8 needles (or so. It’s not like a sweater or something, so there is plenty of leeway regarding gauge)
4 stitch markers
Scissors, tapestry needle
Abbreviations:
k3tog-knit three together
pm-place marker
yo-yarn over
Instructions:
Make the body of the shawl:
CO. 8
- k2, pm, k1, place marker, k2, pm, k1, place marker, k2
- k2, *pm, yo, k to next marker, yo, pm, k2, repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2, repeat from *
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until you have 176 stitches on your needles, finishing with row 3
Begin lace pattern:
- k2, *pm, yo, (k1, yo, k4, k3tog, k4, yo) 7 times, k1, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, yo, k1 (k2, yo, k3, k3tog, k3, yo, k1) 7 times, k2, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, yo, k2 (k3, yo, k2, k3tog, k2, yo, k2) 7 times, k3, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, yo, k3 (k4, yo, k1, k3tog, k1, yo, k3) 7 times, k4, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, yo, k4 (k5, yo, k3tog, yo, k4) 7 times, k5, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, yo, k4 (k3tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4) 7 times, k3tog, k4, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *
- k2, *pm, purl to next marker, pm, k2. Repeat from *
Repeat rows 11 and 12 until you’re bored, you run out of yarn, or both. I repeated them 6 times for my shawl.
When you’re finished, bind off loosely, removing the stitch markers as you go. If you feel so inclined, block your shawl by soaking it in warm water, and pinning it out flat to dry.
Get the PDF here: Lace Edged Shawl-Updated
Edit: Originally, I had included LLD and RLD in the Abbreviations list. This was a mistake-there was never any LLD or RLD’s in the pattern. I have removed them from the abbreviations list. Happy knitting!
On the Needles 
Question: Your CO 8 stitches, Where are they in the shawl? Do they end up “behind your neck” or one of the tips? I have trouble conceptualizing.
Yep! You start at the back of the neck, and work out, so that you’ll cast off the outside lace edge as the very last step. The middle two stitches that you cast on are the beginning of the “spine” of the shawl, while the first and last two stitches are the beginning of the garter-stitch edges.
Wow that works out pretty cool. So that’s how you can just keep going until you have the size you want. Pretty clever.
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This is gorgeous. But I’m confused: in the list of abbreviations you show left leaning decrease and right leaning decrease but in the instructions I only see a k3tog decrease. What did I miss? Thanks.
They should be in there! I’ve abbreviated them as LLD and RLD. LLD is another way to say “SSK”, and RLD is another way to say “K2tog.” Sorry to be confusing, it’s just one of those weird things that happen when everyone learns to knit a different way.
I am dumb. I just actually looked at the pattern, and there are no LRD’s or RLD’s in the pattern, just K3togs. I guess I need to go fix the pattern! Good catch!
You have decreases in your abbreviations but I don’t see any decreases in the pattern? I always try to read thru a pattern, am I missing something?
Oh my gosh! I’ve had this pattern up for more than a year, and no one has ever mentioned that until today, and now you’re the third person to point it out to me. There are no LRD’s or RLD’s in the pattern, just K3togs. I guess I need to go fix the pattern! Good eye.
I wanna start this but I dont see the LLD and RLD. Has it been corrected yet?
Yep. Fixed. Go for it!
Thanks for the quick reply and fix on the pattern. I’ve been making shawls as gifts but this one will be for me!
Karen
You list a tapestry needle as one of the tools needed, but I see no place it is used. Is this only for weaving in ends? I don’t see a note to do that.
Yep. It’s just for weaving in the ends.
Thanks for the quick reply. I’m looking forward to making this as soon as I finish the one I’m on now.
I must be a complete dunce, but I have never knitted something that used so many markers and it is stressing me out a bit. I would like to have an estimate of how many markers are needed to complete this. Am I correct in thinking that this direction, “purl to next marker, pm”, means there will be 2 markers next to each other? I have been looking for a shawl pattern for too long and I really like yours. Thank you so much.
No worries, Marjorie!
You should only be using 4 markers total. One next to the garter stitch edging on the right side of the shawl, one next to the garter stitch edging on the left side of the shawl, and the other two on either side of the garter stitch “backbone” going up the middle of the shawl.
“Purl to next marker, pm” is short for “Purl until you reach the next marker. Then, move the marker from the right needle to the left needle.” Some people use “PM” (Place marker), or “SM” (Slip marker), but they mean the same thing.
Does that help?
I do wish you would correct the pattern, as it is written here it saids you need hundreds of markers but you are actually only using 4? I’ve checked every single knitting abbreviation chart I could find online, turns out there are dozens of them and they all say pm means place marker, never anything about purling anywhere, you appear to be using the pm abbreviation when you infact mean to slip the marker, they really do not mean the same thing.
I wrote this pattern more than 5 years ago, when I was still figuring out how to write patterns. In 2016 I uploaded a corrected .pdf to the pattern library with the pm/sm correction. I have not updated this post, but the updated pattern is available. https://ontheneedlesdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lace-edged-shawl-updated.pdf
I am having trouble with this pattern. I have knitted to the 248 st and about to start the lace pattern. Can you tell me how the first row should be done? I cannot get the row to work out following your instructions.
Hi Cathy, I’m sorry you’re having trouble.
Have you changed the number of lace pattern repeats? For 248 sts, you’ll need to cross out each time you see “7 times” and put in “10 times” instead. So, for row 1, you’ll have:
K2, *sm, yo (k1, yo, k4, k3tog, k4 yo) 10 times, k1, yo, sm k2. Repeat from *
Does that help?
I am knitting row 11 of the lace pattern. So far everything has gone perfectly. But now I have 17 stitches in the first pattern repeat after the first 2 stitches and the pattern only calls for 16, according to my calculations. Row 9 does create 17 stitches but row 11 only needs 16. I must be missing something. Help please. Should it read “pm, yo, k5”? That would make it come out right.
I just ran into the same thing! What did you end up doing?
Hi. I think I’m missing something on the 1st row of the lace pattern. I wind up with an extra 4 stitches. I did the afterwards. The pattern shows 5 stitches outside of the ( ). So if you subtract 176 – 5 = 171. The # of stitches required inside the ( ) is 12. 171/12 = 14.25 Not even. That is my extra 4 stitches. Before I remove the last 3 rows to reduce my stitches to 172, I wanted to check with you in case I am missing something in the directions. Thanks.
Hi Sylvia,
Sorry for the slow reply- I just got back into town (and back to my computer).
I think your confusion might be that you’re missing the * repeat in the lace pattern. In row 1, you’ll see that the pattern says: “k2, *pm, yo, (k1, yo, k4, k3tog, k4, yo) 7 times, k1, yo, pm, k2. Repeat from *” You’ll K2, then work the rest of the instruction (through the () repeat 7 times, as well as the last few sts. Then you’ll go back to the first * and work through the end of the row again.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!
🙂 Allison
Approximately how big will the shawl be if I knit the body to 248 stitches? I’m half way there and want it big enough to cover shoulders. Thanks
Hi Jan, Sorry about the delay- I thought I had already replied (sometimes my brain gets a little mushy these days)! Of course it would depend on your gauge, but I’d guess a shawl that goes up to 248 sts would end up with a 50(ish)-inch wingspan. Hope that helps!
I’m a wee bit stumped my self on the lace pattern. In row 1 on the right side I K2, SM, YO and then I did the following 7 times (k1, yo, k4, k3tog, k4 yo) but when I reached the middle spine I didn’t have enough stitches to do k1, yo before the Sm k2 for the spine so I didn’t do the k1 Yo on the right side before am k2. I have 85 stitches on the right side but when I worked the left side I was able to follow the pattern exactly as written but then I ended up with 87 stitches on the left. I’ve tried this a couple of times already so I thought I’d better reach out to see what I’m missing or doing wrong. Thanks, Kim
It’s Kim S. again. This was all on me. A presently I can’t add. The pattern is working out as written now that my math finally kicked in. Sorry about that!