Filigrana

Filigrana Lace Shawl by The Feminine Touch Designs

What is Being Made

Filigrana is a delicate two-colored lacy shawl designed by Sandra Nesbitt of The Feminine Touch Designs. This knitted shawl features a sophisticated brioche stitch construction that creates a glorious bouquet of flowers and leaves through repeated pattern sequences. The design combines elegant lace elements with structured brioche ribbing to produce an intricate, refined finished piece suitable for intermediate knitters.

Techniques Used

This shawl employs several advanced knitting techniques that work together to create its distinctive appearance:

• Brioche Rib Construction: The foundation technique uses brioche stitch, which creates a stretchy, reversible fabric with distinctive vertical columns. This method involves slipping stitches with yarn overs and working brioche knit and brioche purl stitches in alternating rows.
• Two-Color Brioche Work: The pattern utilizes both a main color (MC) and contrast color (CC) worked in coordinated brioche sequences, allowing the two colors to interact and create visual depth without traditional color changes.
• Slip Stitch Techniques: Strategic use of slip stitches with yarn overs (S1YO) creates the lacy openings and decorative elements that form the flower and leaf motifs throughout the design.
• Alternating Row Sequences: Rows 2A and 2B are worked separately on the wrong side using different colors and stitch combinations, building the pattern structure methodically.

Stitches Used

The Filigrana shawl incorporates the following essential stitches:

• Brioche Knit (BRK): Created by bringing yarn to the front of work and slipping one stitch purlwise, then working the next brioche knit to create the characteristic brioche texture
• Brioche Purl (BRP): Executed by slipping one stitch purlwise, taking yarn over the needle to the back of work, then bringing it to the front between stitches
• Knit (K): Standard knit stitch used throughout the pattern
• Purl (P): Standard purl stitch, primarily used in the foundation rows
• Slip Stitch with Yarn Over (S1YO): A decorative slip stitch combined with a yarn over that creates the lacy openings essential to the shawl's delicate appearance
• Yarn Over (YO): Creates additional lace holes and increases within the pattern sequences

Materials and Construction Details

This downloadable PDF pattern is designed for lace weight yarn, which creates the shawl's delicate, gossamer quality. The pattern requires both a main color and a contrasting color yarn, allowing knitters to customize the visual impact of the flower and leaf motifs. Standard knitting needles appropriate for lace weight yarn are needed to execute the brioche stitches and maintain proper tension throughout the work.

The Filigrana pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic techniques and are ready to explore the more nuanced brioche stitch methods. The pattern assumes foundational knitting knowledge and provides detailed abbreviations and technique tips to guide knitters through the brioche rib construction and color work sequences.