Chelsea Bridge Shawl in Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima - DK346 - Downloadable PDF

Chelsea Bridge Shawl in Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima – Pattern Summary (DK346)

The Chelsea Bridge Shawl is a beautifully crafted knitted shawl designed by Shannon Dunbabin and published by Cascade Yarns. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is an excellent project for knitters looking to expand their lace knitting skills while creating an elegant, wearable accessory. The shawl is worked flat and seamlessly, beginning with just a handful of cast-on stitches and growing outward through a series of carefully placed increases and lace repeats.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a lace shawl or wrap, a versatile accessory that can be worn draped over the shoulders, wrapped around the neck, or styled in a variety of ways. The shawl features a graceful silhouette that is built up gradually from a small number of stitches, making the construction process satisfying and easy to follow as the fabric grows. The design takes its name and inspiration from the elegant aesthetic of the Chelsea Bridge, reflected in the rhythmic, flowing lines of the lace patterning throughout the piece.

Construction and Techniques

The Chelsea Bridge Shawl is constructed using the following key techniques:

• Worked flat: The shawl is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round, giving the knitter full control over the right and wrong sides of the lace fabric.
• Seamless construction: There are no seams to sew up at the end, making finishing quick and straightforward.
• Lace knitting: The centerpiece of the design is the Fishtail Lace pattern, a classic and elegant lace motif that repeats across the shawl body to create an open, airy texture.
• Shaping through increases: The shawl begins with a cast-on of just 7 stitches and is shaped entirely through yarn-over increases worked at regular intervals, gradually expanding the width and length of the piece.

Stitches Used

The pattern makes use of a focused set of knitting stitches and techniques that are well within reach of an intermediate knitter:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P) – the foundational stitches used throughout the pattern, including a garter and stockinette-style base during the shawl's setup rows.
• Yarn Over (YO) – used extensively as a decorative increase that creates the characteristic open holes of lace fabric.
• K2tog (Knit 2 Together) – a standard right-leaning decrease used to shape the lace motif.
• SSK (Slip, Slip, Knit) – a left-leaning decrease that pairs with K2tog to create symmetrical shaping within the lace pattern.
• S1K2P (Slip 1, Knit 2 Together, Pass Slipped Stitch Over) – a centered double decrease that removes two stitches at once and forms the sharp, elegant points characteristic of the Fishtail Lace motif.
• Sl1 (Slip 1) – used as part of the double decrease technique.

The Fishtail Lace Pattern

The Fishtail Lace is a six-row repeating pattern that forms the decorative body of the shawl. It is a well-known traditional lace motif that creates a series of leaf- or tail-shaped openwork panels. The six rows alternate between right-side lace rows featuring yarn overs and centered double decreases, and wrong-side rows that are purled across (with a garter border maintained on each edge). The three right-side rows shift the placement of the yarn overs and decreases progressively, creating the flowing, feathered appearance associated with fishtail lace. A consistent two-stitch garter border is maintained on both edges throughout the pattern, giving the shawl a neat, tidy selvedge.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima – a