Clouds in a Blue Sky
Photos © Hanahlie Beise 2016
This week's blog post is a new pattern, Clouds in a Blue Sky. Exploring lace on an unexpected scale has always appealed to me, and this one adds texture and color to that exploration.
YARN
I picked Spincycle Yarns Knit Fast, Die Young for an unusual lace edge. It adds a moodiness to the geometry of the lace, and I adore that gradual change of color. The yarn is fairly dense and heavy, so it adds some weight to the edging.
For the body, I wanted a chunky yarn that would float and be pure comfort. Imperial Yarns Bulky 2 Strand is an un-spun roving that's light as air. It's very delicate while it's being knit (be gentle or you'll just pull it right apart), but it makes an incredibly cozy, lofty fabric when knit up. It's a tiny bit lighter (skinnier) than the Knit Fast, Die Young, but I stuck with the same needle size, so the gauge of the crescent body is looser than usual, and has a lovely drape despite also being so floaty.
Most of my testers chose to work this up in a single color, which works as well. The gauge is 3 sts = 1"/2.5 cm, so if you've got a soft wool yarn that works well at that gauge, go for it.
CONSTRUCTION
The shawl is worked bottom-up, so you'll cast on for the lace edging first. The ends of the lace are shaped, and the body is worked using a short row/decreasing method.
This is a really quick knit. It takes about 300 yards of yarn and some of my testers finished it in a day. It would make a lovely gift, or just a special instant gratification knit for you!
PATTERN SPECS
Finished Measurements
Wingspan: 49 in/124.5 cm
Depth at Center: 15.5 in/39.5 cm
Yarn
Super Bulky Weight Yarn in two colors:
Bottom Lace Edging: 175 yd/160 m
Body of Shawl: 125 yd/114 m
Bottom Lace Edging shown in Spincycle Yarns Knit Fast, Die Young (100% wool; 100 yd/91 m per 127g skein); Color: Paper Planes; 2 skeins
Main Body of Shawl shown in Imperial Yarn Bulky 2 Strand (100% wool; 200 yd/183 m per 116g skein); Color: Pearl Gray; 1 skein
Blocked Gauge
Gauge measurement should be taken after blocking.
7 sts/16 rows = 4 in/10 cm in St st
Needles & Notions
Needle Sizes are recommendations only. Always use needle size necessary to obtain gauge.
US #15/10 mm 40 in/100 cm circular needle
tapestry needle
stitch markers (optional for dividing lace repeats)
Skills
working lace using charted and/or written instructions, short row shaping
Technical Editing by Susan Moskwa
Copy Editing by Jessie Kwak
