Caribou

Caribou Knit Shawl by Laura Rasmussen

Project Overview

Caribou is an advanced knit shawl pattern designed by Laura Rasmussen for 3 Kittens Needle Arts. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a delicate, crescent-shaped shawl available in two finished sizes: approximately 7 inches wide by 38 inches long for the small version, or 12 inches wide by 62 inches long for the medium version. The shawl is worked from a small cast-on that gradually expands through strategic increases, creating an elegant accessory suitable for layering or draping.

What Is Being Made

The Caribou shawl is a crescent or crescent-shaped wrap knit in the round using sport weight yarn. The pattern begins with a modest 6-stitch cast-on and expands progressively to either 192 stitches (small) or 282 stitches (medium) through repeated increase rows. The finished shawl features an openwork lace section created with yarn overs and decreases, giving it a lightweight, airy quality ideal for spring and summer wear or as a versatile layering piece.

Knitting Techniques Used

This advanced pattern employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques that require solid foundational skills. The construction method uses circular needles worked in rows rather than in the round, despite the needle type. Shaping is achieved through strategic increases worked at the beginning and end of rows, allowing the shawl to grow wider as you progress. The pattern incorporates lace-work elements that demand attention to stitch counts and pattern repeats.

• Increases: The pattern uses kfb (knit in the front and back of the same stitch) and pfb (purl in the front and back of the same stitch) to create increases that add width to the shawl
• Lace elements: Yarn overs (yo) combined with decreases (k2tog) create the openwork pattern characteristic of lace shawls
• Stitch maintenance: The pattern requires keeping stitch counts divisible by 3 throughout, demanding careful attention to pattern repeats and overall stitch management
• Blocking: The finished shawl requires blocking to achieve the stated finished dimensions and to open up the lace pattern

Stitches Used

The Caribou pattern utilizes a focused set of essential knitting stitches that work together to create the shawl's structure and visual interest. The pattern is built on a foundation of basic stitches combined with lace-work elements.

• Stockinette stitch: The primary stitch used throughout most of the shawl, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side
• Knit in front and back (kfb): An increase stitch that creates two stitches from one by working into both the front and back loops of the same stitch
• Purl in front and back (pfb): The purl equivalent of kfb, used on wrong-side rows to maintain pattern consistency
• Yarn over (yo): A decorative increase that creates the characteristic holes in the lace pattern
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in combination with yarn overs to create the lace motif

Materials and Gauge

The Caribou pattern is designed to be worked in sport weight yarn, a lightweight category that creates a delicate, drapey fabric ideal for shawls. The pattern calls for Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, a premium yarn choice that offers excellent stitch definition and drape.

• Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in 100% Superwash Merino Wool; 1-2 skeins required (100 grams per skein, 100 yards per 100 grams)
• Needles: US 6 circular needles in 24-inch to 36-inch length, used for working rows rather than in-the-round
• Notions: Tapestry needle for weaving in ends after completion
• Gauge: 20 stitches and 4 inches in stockinette stitch, measured after blocking; achieving proper gauge is essential for the shawl to reach its intended finished dimensions

Pattern Structure and Difficulty