Bridgeward Leaves Shawls in SweetGeorgia Merino Silk Lace and Merino Silk Fine - Downloadable PDF

Bridgeward Leaves Shawls by Grace Verhagen for SweetGeorgia Yarns

The Bridgeward Leaves Shawl is a stunning top-down triangular lace shawl designed by Grace Verhagen and published by SweetGeorgia Yarns. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern offers two yarn-weight versions — a laceweight edition and a fingering-weight edition — each producing a beautifully draped, leaf-patterned shawl with identical construction but subtly different finished dimensions and yardage requirements.

The design draws inspiration from the "Leaf Shadows" motif collected by Barbara Walker, evoking the imagery of climbing vines wrapping around the red brick buildings beneath Vancouver's Granville Street Bridge. The result is an elegant, nature-inspired accessory with timeless appeal.

What Is Being Made

Both versions produce a top-down triangular shawl featuring an allover leaf lace motif. The finished shawl measures approximately 34 inches / 86 cm in height and 64 inches / 163 cm in length after blocking, making it a generously sized wrap suitable for year-round wear. The laceweight version may knit up slightly smaller than the fingering-weight version.

Design Versions and Materials

• Laceweight Version: Uses 1 skein of SweetGeorgia Yarns Merino Silk Lace in the colorway Cayenne. Each skein contains 765 yards / 700 meters per 3.53 oz / 100 g and is composed of 50% Merino Silk and 50% Cultivated Silk.
• Fingering-Weight Version: Uses 2 skeins of SweetGeorgia Yarns Merino Silk Fine in the colorway Spruce. Each skein contains 380 yards / 347 meters per 3.53 oz / 100 g, also in a 50% Merino Silk and 50% Cultivated Silk blend. This version is featured in the pattern photographs.

Both yarns share the same luxurious fiber composition, offering exceptional drape, a subtle sheen from the silk content, and the soft warmth of merino wool — qualities that make them particularly well-suited to delicate lace knitting.

Needles and Notions

• Needles: US Size 4 / 3.5 mm circular needles, at least 32 inches / 81 cm in length. Needle size should be adjusted as needed to achieve the correct gauge.
• Notions: A tapestry needle, up to 20 stitch markers, blocking pins, and optionally blocking wires for finishing.

Gauge

The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 34 rows over 4 inches / 10 cm in stockinette stitch, measured after blocking. While exact gauge is not strictly essential, variations will affect the finished size of the shawl and the total amount of yarn required.

Techniques and Construction

The shawl is worked top-down, beginning at the spine and expanding outward through increases on right-side rows. This construction method allows knitters to easily adjust the size of the shawl by working more or fewer repeats before binding off. The top-down approach also means the knitter can try the shawl on as they go and use yarn to the very end of the skein if desired.

• Lace knitting: The primary technique throughout, using yarn overs and decreases to form the leaf motif inspired by Barbara Walker's "Leaf Shadows" design.
• Chart and written instructions: Both charted and written row-by-row instructions are included, making the pattern accessible to knitters who prefer either format.
• Consistent wrong-side rows: After the setup section, all wrong-side rows are worked identically — Sl 1, k2, purl until 3 stitches remain, k3 — simplifying the rhythm of the pattern considerably.
• Consistent right-side row borders: All right-side rows begin with sl 1, k1 and