557 Ajuga Shawl - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Franklin Hand-Dyed

557 Ajuga Shawl – Knitting Pattern by Kirsten Hipsky in Valley Yarns Franklin Hand-Dyed

The 557 Ajuga Shawl is a beautifully structured, lacy square shawl designed by Kirsten Hipsky and knitted in Valley Yarns Franklin Hand-Dyed yarn. Measuring a generous approximately 32 inches square when blocked, this piece strikes a perfect balance between elegance and wearability. The design is ideal for knitters who enjoy geometric construction paired with delicate lace detailing, and it makes a stunning accessory for layering over shoulders or draping as a wrap.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a square lace shawl worked from a single corner outward using a mitered square construction. Beginning with just 5 cast-on stitches, the knitter expands the fabric symmetrically in both directions until each edge reaches approximately 30 inches, at which point an optional all-around lace edging is added. The mitered shaping gives the shawl its clean, geometric square silhouette, and the eyelet lace rows woven throughout the body add an airy, decorative texture. The finished square shape may appear slightly skewed on the needles but blooms into its true form after wet blocking and pinning.

Construction and Techniques

The Ajuga Shawl is worked flat on a circular needle, making it a seamless, worked-flat project with no seaming required. The construction is corner-out, meaning the knitter casts on just 5 stitches and increases outward on every right-side row to build the mitered square shape. This technique creates a satisfying rhythm as the shawl grows, and the diagonal center line formed by the central stitch and paired increases gives the fabric its characteristic mitered look.

• Mitered square shaping: Increases are placed symmetrically on either side of a central marker stitch on every right-side row, expanding the shawl evenly from one corner outward.
• Lace body rows: Alternating plain knit rows with eyelet rows using yarn over and k2tog combinations creates a repeating lace texture across the body of the shawl.
• Optional eyelet edging: An all-around lace border is picked up and worked along all edges of the completed shawl body. This edging is worked using a knit-on or cabled cast-on method and is attached row by row to the live edge stitches using k2tog joins, creating a neat, integrated finish that also aids in blocking the shawl perfectly square.
• Wet blocking: Blocking is an essential finishing step for this pattern. The shawl is wet-blocked and pinned square to open up the lace eyelets and set the final 32-inch dimensions.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Ajuga Shawl uses a focused set of knitting stitches and techniques that are well within reach for an intermediate knitter:

• Knit (k) – the primary stitch used throughout the body and edging
• Yarn over (yo) – used to create decorative eyelets in both the lace body rows and the lace edging
• Knit 2 together (k2tog) – a right-leaning decrease used to pair with yarn overs in the lace pattern and to join the edging to the shawl body
• Make 1 (m1) – worked by knitting into the back of the strand running between needles, used for the shaping increases on plain right-side rows
• Slip 1 (sl1) – used at the beginning of edging rows to create a neat, chained selvedge edge
• Purl (p) – appears within the lace edging rows to complete the textured edging pattern
• Bind off – used within the edging repeat to shape the decorative points of the lace border
• Place marker / slip marker (PM / SM) – stitch markers are used to track the central increase point throughout the body of the shawl
• Pick up and knit – used to gather stitches