Isaura

Isaura Shawl by Åsa Tricosa

What is Being Made

Isaura is an elegant, semi-circular shawl designed to drape beautifully when worn. The finished shawl measures approximately 75cm x 155cm (30 inches x 60 inches) when blocked. This sideways knit construction creates a garment that combines simplicity with sophisticated styling, making it suitable for both everyday wear and special occasions.

Construction Method and Techniques

This shawl is knitted sideways in a single piece, meaning the knitter works from one end to the other horizontally rather than from the top down or bottom up. This approach allows the designer to integrate all edgings directly into the main knitting without requiring separate finishing steps.

The construction employs short rows as the primary shaping technique. The knitter creates six-and-a-half wedges, with each wedge featuring progressively shorter rows. This graduated row structure produces a visually pleasing semi-circular shape while also creating a satisfying sense of momentum and progress as the work advances.

The shawl is framed by two distinctive edge treatments: a picot cast on at the beginning and a picot cast off at the conclusion. These decorative edges create delicate, ornamental points along the perimeter. A simple yet refined lace edging completes the design, adding an airy, feminine finish to the garment.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the pattern overview, the design incorporates lace work throughout the edging, which typically involves yarn overs and decreases to create openwork patterns. The short-row shaping requires turning stitches and wrapping techniques to maintain continuity and prevent holes at the turn points.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Fyberspates Faery Wings 4ply yarn in the colorways Gold and Bronze, requiring 2 skeins. This yarn composition includes 67% silk, 23% kid mohair, and 10% nylon, providing approximately 365 meters (399 yards) per 100-gram skein. The total yardage requirement is approximately 750 meters (825 yards).

Suitable alternative yarns include any heavy fingering, sport weight, or DK weight yarn with a slight fuzzy texture, as these characteristics ensure proper drape and stitch definition. For a smaller version measuring approximately 70cm x 140cm, lace weight yarn can be substituted on 3.5mm needles.

Optional beading is available for embellishing the edging. The pattern accommodates 130 tear-drop or dagger beads, or alternatively, regular seed beads in size 6. Beading instructions are provided on the final page of the pattern.

Difficulty Level

Isaura is classified as an advanced knitting project. While the overall construction is described as simple and stylish, the advanced designation reflects the requirement for proficiency with short-row shaping, picot cast-on and cast-off techniques, and lace edging work. Knitters should be comfortable with these intermediate-to-advanced techniques before beginning this project.