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Rustic Shawl by Mary E. Jacobs*
Beyond the Pattern
I just absolutely love this yarn. Leicester (pronounced “less-ter”) Longwool is one of my favorite breeds of sheep for yarn—neck and neck with the Bluefaced Leicester breed. The Leicester Longwool is the breed with the long, tight spiral curls that hang down between his cute sheepy ears, parting around his darling sheepy eyes, with “bangs” that hang a bit down his long sheepy nose. Just an absolutely beautiful breed whose fleece makes a unique and definitely “non-commercialized” rustic yarn. This particular yarn from Ross Farm found its way into my stash during the first Master’s Day at DFWFF back in 2018 when prowling the show floor. The problem was what to do with it…
First, I worked an open lace shawl and, 500 yards in, I frogged it—too fussy for the yarn and both suffered. Then I worked a cardigan and, again, roughly 500 yards in, I frogged it. I couldn’t see the cables. I tried a simple stockinette populated with staggered purls, but the purl stitches blended in. Nothing was doing the yarn justice.
Ultimately, I realized that not only simple would be best but that the construction could be used to showcase and create a simple but visible pattern. Construction could create a textured design that simply could not be duplicated by any other means.
This may have been one of the first times I was actually sad when the project ended. It was just such a treat to use an unblended, single-breed yarn from such a magnificent sheep. (I may have just talked myself into another Leicester Longwool online shopping trip.)
Size
One Size
Finished Measurements
23” x 65.5”
Materials
The Ross Farm Heritage and Rare Breed Fiber LEICESTER LONGWOOL PICADILLY 2.0 (250yds/228m, 75g/2.6oz, 100% Leicester Longwool): 5 skeins
Size 4 (3.5mm) 32” (80cm) or 40” (100cm) circular needle
Size 2.5mm crochet hook (for provisional CO)
Removable stitch markers
Smooth waste yarn for provisional CO
Tapestry needle
Gauge
In St st, 16 sts & 32 rows = 4”/10cm. To save time, take time to check gauge.
CONSTRUCTION NOTE—Begun with a provisional cast on, this shawl is worked in the round from the center out, with stratigically placed increases to make a rectangular shawl. Plain stockinette stitch rectangles and plain eyelet rectangles encompass each other. In finishing, the provisional cast on is removed, and the live stitches are grafted together with Kitchener stitch for a seamless piece.
Shawl
Provisionally CO 380 sts. Taking care not to twist sts, join in the rnd and pm to denote the beg of the rnd.
Join in working yarn, k3, pm, k184, pm, k3, pm, k3, pm, k184, pm, k3.
DESIGNER NOTE—The four sets of 3 marked off stitches will serve as the four corner increases. After working each 18th round of Chart B or after the 16th round of Chart C, the markers will be reset back to 3 sts, maintaining the original center stitch for each corner.
Initial Plain Rectangle
Rnd 1: Work Chart B (3 sts), k184, work Chart B twice (6 sts), k184, work Chart B (3 sts).
Cont in pat through Rnd 17 of Chart B.
Rnd 18: Work Chart B to marker, purl to marker, work Chart B twice, purl to marker, work Chart B.
When Rnd 18 is completed, reset the Chart B markers so there are 3 sts between the markers centered around the original center st at each of the four corners. Additional markers will need to be added for this first rnd.
DESIGNER NOTE—If there are not enough stitches to work a full Chart A repeat, work additional stitches in stockinette.
Textured Rectangle
Rnd 1: *Work Chart A to marker, work Chart C; rep from * 3 more times, work Chart A to marker at end of rnd.
Cont in pat as est until Rnd 16 of Chart C has been completed, Rnds 2–7 of Chart A have been worked twice and Rnds 8–10 of Chart A have been completed.
Stockinette Rectangle
Reset the corner increase markers so there are 3 sts between the markers centered around the original center st at each of the four corners.
Rnd 1: *Knit to marker, work Chart B; rep from * 3 more times, knit to end of rnd.
Cont in pat through Rnd 17 of Chart B.
Rnd 18: *Purl to marker, work Chart B; rep from * 3 more times, purl to end of rnd.
Repeat the Textured Rectangle, followed by the Stockinette Rectangle 1 time more.
Work one additional Textured Rectangle.
On Rnd 16 of the Textured Rectangle, BO loosely in pat.
Carefully undo provisional CO, placing the first half of the sts (190 sts) on one needle and the second half of the sts (190 sts) on another needle. Carefully Kitchener stitch the live sts tog.
Weave in ends. Block.
*Stash Yarn
Free Resources – Download Free Pattern
Copyright 2020, The Knitting Guild Association, Cast On Fall 2020, All Rights Reserved
