Pushkar Flower of India Shawl

Pushkar Flower of India Shawl

Design Overview

The Pushkar Flower of India Shawl is a lace-weight knitting pattern designed by Rebecca Armstrong. Pushkar means lotus, the national flower of India and is said to be the seat of Brahma. The designer drew inspiration for this shawl's name while working on the design at a restaurant in Birmingham, recognizing the fitting connection between the lotus flower motif and the pattern's special stitch work.

Finished Dimensions

This shawl measures 135 cm across and 90 cm long, making it a generous wrap suitable for layering or draping.

Difficulty Level and Gauge

Rated as an intermediate knitting project, this shawl requires attention to stitch detail and pattern work. The gauge is 26 stitches and 38 rows per 10x10 cm square in stocking stitch. The lace pattern features 7 lotus flowers across and 10 lotus flowers high per 10x10 cm square, creating an intricate and delicate fabric.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Araucania Botany Lace (lace weight) – 3 skeins total
• Needles: 3.25 mm needles

Special Stitches and Techniques

This design features a signature lotus flower stitch that creates the decorative motifs throughout the shawl. The primary special stitch used is the 5-lotus, abbreviated as p5togm5.

5-lotus stitch technique: This stitch is executed by purling 5 stitches together while keeping them on the left-hand needle. The yarn is then wrapped around the right-hand needle 3 times, with a purl stitch worked through the same 5 stitches after each wrap, creating a total of 5 new stitches from the original 5 stitches before dropping them from the left-hand needle. This creates the dimensional lotus flower effect characteristic of the shawl's design.

Knitting Approach

The shawl employs lace-weight yarn and intricate stitch manipulation to achieve its delicate, openwork appearance. The combination of stocking stitch backgrounds with the lotus flower motifs creates visual interest and texture throughout the finished piece. The intermediate difficulty reflects the need for careful attention to the special stitch sequences and pattern repeats required to successfully execute the lotus flower elements.