Calypso Shawl in Rowan Kid Classic - ZB329-00002-DEP - Downloadable PDF

Calypso Shawl in Rowan Kid Classic by Martin Storey – Pattern Summary

The Calypso Shawl is a beautifully designed knitted shawl created by renowned knitwear designer Martin Storey and published by Rowan. Available as a downloadable PDF (reference ZB329-00002-DEP), this pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping and stitch pattern repeats and are ready to explore more decorative techniques. The finished piece is a striking shoulder wrap or shawl, worked in a structured stripe sequence using multiple carefully chosen colorways.

What Is Being Made

The Calypso pattern produces a knitted shawl — referred to in the original German-language pattern text as a Schultertuch (shoulder wrap). It is a large, decorative accessory designed to be worn draped over the shoulders. The shawl is worked flat and features a repeating stripe motif that cycles through a sequence of six colours over a defined number of rows, creating a rhythmic, visually dynamic striped fabric with elegant textural detail.

Construction and Structure

The shawl is cast on with 99 stitches using 5 mm needles (Nadelstärke Nr. 5) and begins with a garter stitch border of 2 rows worked in the first colour before the main stripe and stitch pattern commences. The pattern is built around a 60-row stripe repeat, which cycles continuously throughout the length of the shawl. Each colour block within the repeat spans a defined number of rows:

• Rows 37–44: worked in Colour E
• Rows 45–48: worked in Colour A
• Rows 49–56: worked in Colour F
• Rows 57–60: worked in Colour A

This 60-row sequence is repeated continuously, creating the full striped fabric of the shawl. The structured colour rotation gives the finished piece a bold, graphic stripe effect softened by the halo of the yarn.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Calypso Shawl employs a combination of knitting stitches and shaping techniques that give the fabric both texture and visual interest:

• Garter stitch (kraus rechts) — used for the initial border rows, creating a firm, non-curling edge
• Knit stitches (rechts stricken) and purl stitches (links stricken) — combined to form the main fabric
• Yarn overs (Umschlag / U) — used to create decorative eyelets and lace-like openings within the pattern repeat
• Twisted knit stitches (1 M re verschr / 1 M li verschr) — knitting or purling into the back of the stitch for a neat, defined appearance
• Double decreases — specifically the slip-two-together, knit-one, pass-slipped-stitches-over method (2 M wie zum 2 M re zus-str abheben, 1 M re, die 2 abgehobenen M überziehen), which creates a central double decrease for shaping and pattern definition
• Standard decreases — including knit-two-together (2 M re zus-str) and yarn-over increases to balance the stitch count within the lace repeat
• Stripe colourwork — carrying and joining multiple yarn colours across the stripe sequence

The combination of yarn overs, twisted stitches, and double decreases is characteristic of a lace or semi-lace knitting technique, where increases and decreases are paired to maintain stitch count while producing an open, decorative fabric. This approach gives the Calypso Shawl its elegant, airy quality without requiring complex charted lace skills.

Colourways

The pattern offers two distinct colour versions, both worked in the same