Sedge

Sedge Knit Shawl by K.M. Bedigan

Design Overview

Sedge is a textured knit shawl inspired by the foliage found at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Rather than focusing on flowers, this design celebrates the subtle beauty of plant leaves through a repeating slip stitch pattern. The shawl was created for the Indie Burgh Craft Crawl 2017 to accompany a limited-edition hand-dyed yarn release from Ginger's Hand Dyed. The sample featured in the pattern uses Ginger's Hand Dyed Cushet Law Sport yarn in the 'The Royal Botanics' colorway, making it an ideal showcase for hand-dyed sport weight yarns where stitch texture and color variation work together visually.

What You Will Create

This project produces a finished shawl measuring 60 x 25 inches (152.5 x 63.5 centimeters), excluding tassels. The rectangular dimensions make it a versatile accessory suitable for draping around the shoulders or wearing as a wrap. The shawl features an I-cord edging that frames the textured body.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Slip Stitch Patterning: The primary technique throughout the shawl, slip stitches create texture and visual interest while allowing the underlying yarn colors to show through in a controlled manner
• Seed Stitch: Used as the base stitch structure, providing a balanced, bumpy fabric that lies flat
• I-Cord Edging: Applied as a finished border, worked separately from the main shawl body
• Blocking: Essential finishing step that significantly changes the gauge and drape of the finished piece

Stitches and Abbreviations

The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations including k for knit and k1 elongated for an extended knit stitch variation. Stitch charts are provided for the pattern repeats, though these charts do not include the I-cord edging stitches, which are worked separately according to written instructions.

Materials and Specifications

Yarn: 366 yards (335 meters) of sport weight yarn. Sport weight is a lightweight yarn category ideal for creating fabric with good drape and stitch definition, making it perfect for displaying slip stitch textures.

Needles and Tools: US 7 (4.5 mm) needles for the main fabric, along with 2 stitch markers to track pattern repeats, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, a crochet hook for finishing details, and waste yarn for provisional cast-on or stitch holders.

Gauge and Blocking Impact

Gauge measurements show a dramatic difference between pre-blocking and post-blocking measurements, which is typical for textured knit shawls. Pre-blocking gauge measures 26 stitches by 36 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in seed stitch worked flat. After blocking, the same area measures 15 stitches by 23 rows, indicating significant relaxation and opening of the fabric. This transformation is crucial to achieving the intended finished dimensions and drape of the shawl.

Skill Level

Rated as a beginner project, Sedge is accessible to knitters new to shawl construction. The repeating slip stitch pattern is straightforward to follow, and the rectangular shape simplifies shaping compared to more complex shawl geometries. Beginners should be comfortable with basic knit and slip stitches, reading simple charts, and understanding the importance of blocking to finishing quality.