Skye Shawl

Skye Shawl

Those of you who follow my Instagram may realize that I attended the Edinburgh Yarn Festival last month (not that I posted much - one photo, maybe?). What you may NOT realize is that I also bought a crapload of yarn. Of course, because my mother raised me to value a sweet deal, I bought both brand-new-perfect-condition stuff and quite a few "odds and ends," like the beautiful naturally-dyed fibers from the Skye Shilasdair Shop that I used for this design. Naturally, then, the Skye Shawl is designed for just such a collection of funny bits and leftovers, in case you have a few odds and ends of your own laying around the house. :) I ALSO bought a kitchen scale so that I could accurately measure my yardage; as you can see, I've bolded all of the colors and yardages below so that you can get a good idea of how many yards of each color you need to make this shawl for yourself (I've also already added a 10% cushion on the amounts I used, in case you're wondering).

Oh, and I almost forgot! I also made technique videos for this piece, which demonstrate all of the important stuff you need to make this shawl. And yes, I know I start EVERY SINGLE ONE by saying "okay." Okay? Okay! Apparently I can't help myself. 

Oh, and double oh: the instructions for this shawl make it look much more complicated/difficult than it actually is! Take heart, it's not that bad, I promise. :)

Yarn: The Skye Shilasdair Shop oddments (unknown blend of Alpaca, Merino, Cashmere, Angora, and Silk); Yellow/Green (Color A; 45 grams, or roughly 135 yards), Dark Pink (Color B; 30 grams, or roughly 90 yards), Lime Green (Color C; 10 grams or roughly 30 yards), Light Pink (Color D; 20 grams or roughly 60 yards), Dark Green (Color E; 20 grams or roughly 60 yards)

A closer looks at the stripes and the edgings.

Needles: One pair of needles in size US 5, two double pointed needles in size US 5, and one US 6 or 7 needle for provisional cast-on (this is optional; you're only casting on 4 stitches provisionally, so your tightness is not of great importance)

Notions: 2 tapestry needles, 1 18" length of scrap yarn, and 2 roughly 3' lengths of scrap yarn, preferably in cotton

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's make a shawl then! And remember - as I mentioned above, I filmed a series of technique videos for this pattern, so (hopefully!) you will be able to find a technique video just below any of the instructions with which you may need help. And with that in mind, in order to get this particular blend of stripes, we're going to begin by making the i-cord on the top middle part of the shawl, and then work the striped middle panel down from there. So, first, using one of your size US 5 dpns or your size US 6 or 7 needle and your color A yarn, cast on 4 stitches provisionally, making sure the scrap yarn you use to hold your provisional stitches is roughly 3' long. If you used a larger needle for your provisional cast on, transfer stitches to one of your size 5 dpns now. And if you need some help with these instructions, then the video below is for you (side note: when I watched it back I realized that I could have explained myself better. What I mean by "making space" is that if you're not going to size up your needle for your cast on, you should NOT pull the stitches around the scrap yarn tight, but instead leave them a little loose, as demonstrated).

Once you've completed your provisional cast on, thread the shortest of your scrap yarn pieces onto a tapestry needle, and work as follows with your two dpns:

Icord Row (always worked as a right-side row): kfb, k3; then, when you go to begin your next row, use your tapestry needle to thread the first of kfb stitches onto your shortest piece of scrap yarn purlwise to hold for later

Again, here's a video to demonstrate this technique if you need it:

Knit this icord row until you're holding 38 stitches on your scrap yarn (that's in addition to, of course, the 4 provisional stitches you're holding on your OTHER scrap yarn). Remove your tapestry needle from the scrap yarn holding your 38 stitches and thread it onto your final, longer piece of scrap yarn. Then transfer the remaining 4 icord stitches purlwise onto that third piece of scrap yarn, threading upwards (up being in the direction of your 38 held stitches). Now you should have 4 stitches held at either side of your icord on the longer scraps, and 38 stitches held along the edge, on the shorter scrap. Transfer those 38 stitches to your size US 5 needles and then we'll begin to work stripes and icord edgings upwards, adding stitches along either edge of your striped section as we did along the icord we just worked. To prepare for that, go ahead and thread your second tapestry needle onto the long scrap yarn holding your provisional stitches, also on the same end of the scrap where your 38 stitches are. In case this is word salad, here's a video demonstration:

Once you've got your 38 stitches on your size 5 needles and your two scrap yarns set up, it's time to work as follows. As a note, the video I made for this section includes the increases you'll need in the next section; if you're struggling with the icord edgings, however, you can scroll down and watch it now. Anyway, we'll continue like so:

Middle Row 1 (right side): using your color B yarn, kfb. Transfer the two stitches you just created back to your left-hand needle and then slip the first stitch onto the same scrap of yarn holding your original 4 provisional stitches and the second of those stitches back to your right-hand needle. Knit until you reach final stitch; kfb, slipping final stitch to your scrap yarn holding your final 4 stitches from the original i-cord

Middle Row 2: using your color B yarn, slip 4 with yarn in front (sl4 wyif), purl until you have 4 stitches left in row, sl4 wyif

Middle Rows 3 & 4: repeat rows 1 & 2

Middle Rows 5 - 8: using your color A yarn, repeat rows 1 - 4

Knit middle rows 1 - 8 four times in total. Then we'll work the same rows, except with increases on rows 3 & 7, as follows. Oh, and here's the video that demonstrates what you need for this section:

So let's continue as follows:

Middle Increase Row 1 (right side): using your color B yarn, kfb. Transfer the two stitches you just created back to your left-hand needle and then slip the first stitch onto the same scrap of yarn holding your original 4 provisional stitches and the second of those stitches back to your right-hand needle. Knit until you reach final stitch; kfb, slipping final stitch to your scrap yarn holding your final 4 stitches from the original i-cord

Middle Increase Row 2: using your color B yarn, sl4 wyif, purl until you have 4 stitches left in row, sl4 wyif

Middle Increase Row 3: using your color B yarn, kfb. Transfer the two stitches you just created back to your left-hand needle and then slip the first stitch onto the same scrap of yarn holding your original 4 provisional stitches and the second of those stitches back to your right-hand needle. Then, k4, m1l, knit until you have 5 stitches left before end of row, m1r, k4, kfb, slipping final stitch to your scrap yarn holding your final 4 stitches from the original i-cord (+2 stitches)

Middle Increase Row 4: repeat row 2

Middle Increase Rows 5 - 8: using your color A yarn, repeat rows 1 - 4

Knit middle Increase Rows 1 - 8 eight times in total; you should now have 52 stitches held on each of your scrap yarn pieces at the sides, and 70 stitches on your working needle. And now, using your color C yarn, bind off your 70 live stitches using the Picot Bind Off, as follows. And of course, you can find the video below the written instructions!

Picot Bind Off: using color C, * cast on two stitches using the cable cast on. Then, bind off 4 stitches (you will need 5 stitches to do this, since it takes 2 stitches to complete the first bound off stitch). Place stitch on your right-hand needle back on your left hand needle; rep from *, ending last repeat by binding off 3 stitches instead of 4

Complete the picot bind off for the center section of your shawl. Then, transfer held stitches from the righthand side of your work to your size 5 needles, in preparation to begin a wrong side row (that's your righthand side when you're looking at your work from the right side, with the cast on edge towards the top). Work a couple of transition rows, as follows:

Transition Row 1 (wrong side): using your color A yarn, sl 4, then purl until you have one stitch left in row; finally, switch to your color C yarn to purl final stitch (all color changes should use the standard intarsia join - see next video if you need a reminder of it)

Transition Row 2: k1 with color C, knit remainder of stitches in row with color A

Knit these two transition rows, and then it's time to begin our main right side pattern, as follows. Remember to yank your color C yarn tail tight after you switch to your other color yarn in each row; this will prevent your color from peeking, and keep your edging looking good. Speaking of the edging, here's a video of how to do it from the right side of the fabric. I have also included information for hiding your color changes in the icord at the top of the shawl so that you don't have to clip your tails as you work!!!

So, we'll continue like so:

Row 1 (wrong side): using color A, sl 4 wyif, purl until you have 1 stitch left in row; p1 in color C

Row 2: using color C, cable cast on 2 stitches, then bind off 2 stitches. Switch to color A and knit until end of row

Rows 3 & 4: same as rows 1 & 2

Rows 5 - 8: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color D for color A (your faux picot edging will always be in color C)

Rows 9 - 12: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color E for color A

Rows 13 - 16: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color B for color A

Work rows 1 - 16. Now we'll begin to incorporate a decrease every fourth row, as follows:

Row 1 (wrong side): using color A, sl 4 wyif, purl until you have 1 stitch left in row; p1 in color C

Row 2: using color C, cable cast on 2 stitches, then bind off 2 stitches. Switch to color A and knit until end of row

Row 3: same as row 1

Row 4: using color C, cable cast on 2 stitches, then bind off 2 stitches. Switch to color A and knit until you have 6 stitches left in row; k2tog, k4 (-1 stitch)

Rows 5 - 8: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color D for color A (your faux picot edging will always be in color C) (-1 stitch)

Rows 9 - 12: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color E for color A (-1 stitch)

Rows 13 - 16: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color B for color A (-1 stitch)

Work rows 1 - 16 until you have 7 stitches left on your needle and you've just finished a right-side row (this should mean that you've just finished row 4 of the pattern). Clip your B, C, D, & E color yarns, and bind off loosely in color A. Now you're done with your right side "wing" and it's time to begin the other side!

Once again, then, transfer your held stitches from your left-hand side onto your size 5 needle, this time in preparation to begin a right side row. Then we'll again work some transition rows, as follows:

Transition Row 1 (right side): using your color A yarn, slip 4 stitches with yarn in back (sl4 wyib), knit until you have one stitch left in row; finally, switch to your color C yarn to knit final stitch

Transition Row 2: p1 with color C, switch to your color A yarn and purl remainder of row

Knit these two transition rows, and then it's time to begin our main left side pattern, as follows. Remember to yank your color C yarn tail tight after you switch to your other color yarn in each row; this will prevent your color from peeking, and keep your edging looking good. Also, we'll have to do your edging slightly differently on this side, and I'm calling the revised technique the "reverse cable cast on." See below for a definition before you proceed, and of course the video of the whole edging/color change hiding process.

reverse cable cast on (rcco): cast on one stitch by inserting your right hand needle between the first and second stitches on your left hand needle, but from the back to the front instead of the front to the back. Wrap your yarn, draw it through, and place new stitch on needle

So let's continue as follows:

Row 1 (right side): using color A, sl 4 wyib, knit until you have 1 stitch left in row; k1 in color C

Row 2: using color C, rcco 2 stitches, then bind off 2 stitches in pattern (so, using purls to bind off instead of knits!). Switch to color A and purl until end of row

Rows 3 & 4: same as rows 1 & 2

Rows 5 - 8: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color D for color A (your faux picot edging will always be in color C)

Rows 9 - 12: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color E for color A

Rows 13 - 16: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color B for color A

Work rows 1 - 16. Now we'll begin to incorporate a decrease every fourth row, as you'll find below. And since we're using the p2tog-b, which is a somewhat tricky decrease, I've made a video for this, too, here:

Once you've gotten that down, continue like so:

Row 1 (right side): using color A, sl 4 wyib, knit until you have 1 stitch left in row; k1 in color C

Row 2: using color C, rcco 2 stitches, then bind off 2 stitches in pattern. Switch to color A and purl until end of row

Row 3: same as row 1

Row 4: using color C, rcco 2 stitches, then bind off 2 stitches in pattern. Switch to color A and purl until you have 6 stitches left in row; purl 2 together through back loops (p2tog-b), p4

Rows 5 - 8: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color D for color A (again, your faux picot edging will always be in color C)

Rows 9 - 12: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color E for color A

Rows 13 - 16: repeat rows 1 - 4, substituting color B for color A

Work rows 1 - 16 until you have 7 stitches left on your needle and you've just finished a wrong-side row (this should mean that you've just finished row 4 of the pattern). Clip your B, C, D, & E color yarns, and bind off loosely in color A. Tuck in ends and block; it's up to you if you want to try to stretch out your i-cord edgings or let them curl (I let them curl, and blocked this in somewhat of a croissant shape).

Oh and I know I'm terrible about finished measurements! I tried with this one, though, which is how I can tell you that this little number measured roughly 12" tall at the longest part in the center and 48" along the icord (aka the shorter long edge) after blocking.