Cerro Gordo

Cerro Gordo Shawl by Laura Aylor

What is Being Made

Cerro Gordo is a knitted shawl inspired by Mexican blankets. This downloadable PDF pattern guides crafters through creating a finished piece that combines traditional knitting techniques with decorative finishing methods. The shawl features both functional and decorative elements, including fringe and embellished edges.

Construction and Knitting Techniques

This shawl is knit from side to side, a construction method that creates interesting directional qualities in the finished fabric. The pattern employs two primary knitting techniques to build visual interest and texture throughout the piece.

• Linen Stitch: Used as one of the main stitch patterns, linen stitch creates a dense, textured fabric with excellent drape and structure. This traditional stitch is worked by alternating knit and purl stitches in a specific sequence across rows.
• Stranded Stockinette: The second primary technique combines stockinette stitch with stranded colorwork, allowing multiple yarn colors to be worked simultaneously. This method creates patterns by carrying unused yarn colors across the back of the work.

Finishing Techniques

The pattern includes detailed finishing instructions that elevate the shawl's aesthetic appeal. One edge receives fringe, while another edge is finished with blanket stitch embellishment. The blanket stitch tutorial provided in the pattern uses a tapestry needle and involves creating loops along the edge at regular 1/4-inch intervals, anchoring them securely to the knitted fabric.

Yarn and Materials

This pattern is designed for worsted weight yarn, a medium-weight yarn that works up relatively quickly while maintaining good stitch definition. The pattern references specific yarn designations (such as C2) in the finishing instructions. Crafters will need knitting needles appropriate for worsted weight yarn, a tapestry needle for finishing work, and approximately 12 yards of yarn for the blanket stitch edging.

Skill Level

Cerro Gordo is rated as an intermediate difficulty pattern. Crafters should be comfortable with increasing stitches and have experience working stranded colorwork before beginning this project. The side-to-side construction and combination of stitch patterns require solid foundational knitting skills and the ability to manage multiple techniques within a single project.