Product Description
This pair of shawls presented me with the perfect opportunity to complete my trio of shawls honoring the 21st Century Mars Rovers, Another thing that clicked into place was designing to use the special speckle colorway Miss Babs dyed for the LYS Fibre Space (they have a space theme going on)!
This pattern contains instructions to knit the shawl in either fingering or sport weight yarns. You will need two contrasting colors and if you choose a speckle (or variegated) like we did, make sure the color of your contrast is not present in the speckle.
The colorwork technique used in this shawl is a combination of slip stitch colorwork (Mosaic) and lace and it is much easier to execute than the end results might make it seem.
Stitches used: k, p, k2tog, kfb, s1, s1-wyif, ssk, YO
The pattern includes charts and written out instructions for those charts.
Spirit and Opportunity Shawls by Barbara Benson
What is Being Made
Spirit and Opportunity is a pair of knitted shawls designed by Barbara Benson as part of a trilogy honoring the 21st Century Mars Rovers. These shawls celebrate the iconic space missions through fiber art, with design elements inspired by the visual legacy of the rover expeditions. The shawls are suitable for intermediate-level knitters and work well with 4-ply yarn weight.
Design Inspiration and Concept
The shawl designs draw inspiration from photographs of the Mars Rovers missions, particularly focusing on the distinctive tracks left behind by the rovers as they traversed the Martian landscape. This visual element is interpreted in the shawl pattern through evenly spaced long vertical stripes that echo the rover tracks stretching across the terrain. The designer utilized a special speckle colorway yarn dyed by Miss Babs specifically for LYS Fibre Space, complementing the space-themed aesthetic of these pieces.
Knitting Techniques Used
This pattern employs fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques appropriate for crafters with some experience. The construction involves strategic yarn manipulation and stitch manipulation to create the visual striping effect. Key techniques include:
- Yarn overs for lace and shaping elements
- Slip stitches worked purl-wise with yarn positioning variations
- Decreases using knit two together and slip-slip-knit methods
- Increases using knit front and back technique
- Repeat sections that build the pattern structure
Stitches Featured
The pattern utilizes a range of essential knitting stitches to construct the shawls:
- Knit (k) - the foundational stitch
- Purl (p) - for texture and directional changes
- Yarn over (YO) - creates lace holes and increases
- Knit two together (k2tog) - right-leaning decrease
- Slip-slip-knit (ssk) - left-leaning decrease for balanced shaping
- Knit front and back (kfb) - increase method
- Slip stitch (s1) - worked purl-wise with yarn held behind
- Slip stitch with yarn in front (s1-wyif) - purl-wise insertion with yarn positioned forward
Materials and Specifications
These shawls are designed to be worked in 4-ply yarn weight, a fingering-weight yarn that creates delicate, detailed fabric suitable for lace and striped patterns. The pattern includes standard knitting notions such as a tapestry needle for finishing and weaving in ends. Specific needle size information is referenced in the pattern gauge section of the downloadable PDF. The speckle colorway yarn adds visual interest and depth to the rover track stripe design.
Pattern Format
This is a downloadable PDF pattern from independent designer Barbara Benson, making it accessible for immediate digital access. The pattern includes comprehensive abbreviations and stitch definitions to support intermediate-level knitters in successfully completing these space-inspired shawls.
```Specifications
| Brand: | Independent Designer |
| Yarn Weight: | 4 Ply |
| Pages: | 5 |
| Designer: | Barbara Benson |
| Craft: | Knitting |
| Format: | Downloadable PDF |
| Languages: | English |
| Number of Patterns: | 1 |
| Skill Level: | Intermediate |
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