Madelia

Madelia Shawlette by Corrina Ferguson

What is Being Made

The Madelia Shawlette is a wide crescent-shaped shawlette designed by Corrina Ferguson for PicnicKnits. This intermediate-level knitting project creates an elegant accessory that showcases lace patterning and coordinating colorwork. The finished piece requires blocking to achieve its distinctive crescent shape and to fully open up the delicate lace details.

Yarn & Materials

This shawlette is worked using Miss Babs Yummy Toes sportweight yarn in multiple coordinating colors. The pattern calls for 82-yard skeins with the following yardage breakdown:

• 2 skeins of Oregon Cellar
• 1 skein of Bruin
• 1 skein of Ruby Spinel

For alternative yarn options, the designer notes that this shawlette would look equally lovely worked in a solid color or in a self-striping yarn such as Miss Babs Yummy Toes Monochrome Sport or Noro sock yarn. The sportweight gauge is 20 stitches and 30 rows to 4 inches in blocked stockinette stitch.

Tools & Equipment

Knitters will need Size 8 (5mm) circular needles, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and pins for blocking. Blocking is essential to this project, as the shawlette must be blocked to achieve the proper crescent shape and to open up the lace patterning.

Knitting Techniques & Stitches

The Madelia Shawlette employs several fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques. The pattern utilizes lace knitting with yarn overs and decreases to create openwork details that become visible after blocking. Key stitches and abbreviations used throughout the pattern include:

• k (knit) – the basic knit stitch
• p (purl) – the basic purl stitch
• k2tog (knit 2 stitches together) – a right-leaning decrease
• ssk (slip, slip, knit) – a left-leaning decrease worked by slipping two stitches knitwise one at a time to the right needle, then inserting the left needle into the front of these stitches and knitting them together
• sk2p (slip one stitch knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over) – a centered double decrease
• kfb (knit into the front and back) – an increase that creates one additional stitch

The combination of these decreases and increases, along with stockinette stitch and lace elements, creates the shaping necessary for the crescent silhouette. The colorwork aspect adds visual interest through the use of coordinating yarn colors worked throughout the piece.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are ready to tackle lace patterning and shaping techniques. Familiarity with reading knitting patterns, managing multiple yarn colors, and blocking techniques is beneficial for successful completion.