Garland Shawl

Garland Shawl by Michele Bernstein

What Is Being Made

The Garland Shawl is a crescent-shaped shawl designed by Michele Bernstein and knit from side to side. This advanced knitting project features a distinctive construction where a lacy border is integrated with a garter stitch body, creating an elegant accessory with optional beading details. The shawl offers design flexibility, allowing knitters to create either a wide, shallow crescent or a deeper, more traditionally proportioned crescent shape based on personal preference.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

The Garland Shawl employs side-to-side construction, a technique that builds the shawl horizontally from one end to the other. The body uses garter stitch as the foundation, which provides a textured, reversible fabric. The shaping is achieved through strategic increases from one end toward the center point, followed by decreases toward the opposite end, creating the characteristic crescent silhouette. The lacy border is knit simultaneously with the body rather than added separately, streamlining the construction process and ensuring seamless integration between the decorative edge and the main fabric.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch for the main body, providing structure and texture
• Lace stitches for the decorative border, creating an openwork design
• Increases and decreases for shaping the crescent form

Optional Beading and Embellishment

The pattern includes optional beading along the center veins of the lace leaves, adding both visual sparkle and subtle weight that enhances the shawl's drape and movement. This embellishment is applied using a US 13/14 crochet hook or a Bead Aid tool, allowing knitters to customize the level of embellishment to their preference.

Materials and Specifications

Yarn Requirements: The Garland Shawl requires 480 yards of light fingering-weight yarn for the wider crescent version, or 415 yards for the deeper crescent variation. The sample shawls shown in the pattern were knit using Knitted Wit Cashy Lite, a premium blend of 80% merino wool, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon, which provides softness, warmth, and elasticity ideal for a luxury shawlette.

Needles and Tools: Knitters will need US #5 (4 mm) needles in a 24-inch length, available in either straight or circular configuration, sized to achieve the specified gauge. A US 13/14 crochet hook or Bead Aid tool is required for bead placement if the optional beading is chosen.

Gauge: The pattern specifies a gauge of 12 stitches and 23 rows over 2 inches in stockinette stitch before blocking, which is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions.

Additional Notions: The project requires 2 stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping points, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and approximately 300 seed beads in size 6/0 or 8/0 for the optional beading embellishment.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as advanced, making it suitable for experienced knitters who are comfortable with lace knitting, side-to-side construction, and shaping techniques. The integration of the lacy border with the body and the optional beading application require intermediate to advanced skills.