Isi Scarf in Berroco Indigo - Downloadable PDF

Isi Scarf in Berroco Indigo – Knitting Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Isi is a beautifully structured triangular shawl or scarf designed by Amy Christoffers for Berroco, published as part of Booklet #371 Love Berroco. Worked in a single size, the finished piece measures approximately 58 inches across the top edge and 12 inches down the center after blocking, not including the decorative fringe. It is rated Intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping techniques and lace-style stitch patterns and are ready to explore more refined construction methods.

Construction and Shape

The Isi shawl is worked from the top center point outward, beginning with a single cast-on stitch that is immediately expanded using yarn overs and knit increases. This tip-up triangular construction is a classic approach in shawl knitting, allowing the piece to grow symmetrically on both sides as each right-side row is worked. The shaping is achieved through consistent paired yarn-over increases at each selvedge edge, creating the characteristic wide, sweeping top edge and tapered center point. Because the piece is worked flat on a 29-inch circular knitting needle, the long cable accommodates the growing stitch count comfortably without crowding.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The pattern draws on a combination of fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques to create its elegant textured surface:

• Stockinette stitch (St st) – alternating knit and purl rows form the smooth base fabric of the shawl
• Garter stitch sections – certain wrong-side rows are worked as knit rows rather than purl rows, creating subtle ridged texture that adds visual interest and structure
• Yarn overs (yo) – used both for decorative lace-style eyelets and as the primary increase method to shape the triangular silhouette
• Central Double Decrease (CDD) – a key stitch in which two stitches are slipped together, a third is knitted, and the slipped stitches are passed over; this creates a neat, centered decrease that forms the elegant chevron or feather-and-fan-style lines running through the body of the shawl
• Paired edge increases – worked as (K1, yo) twice at the beginning and (yo, k1) twice at the end of right-side rows to maintain the triangular shape
• Cast-on from a single stitch – the dramatic opening row works multiple increases into a single stitch to establish the initial five stitches, a technique that produces a clean, seamless center point
• Fringe application using a crochet hook – after the knitting is complete, fringe is added along the slanted selvedge edges of the shawl using a size 5.00 mm (H) crochet hook; three 12-inch strands of yarn are folded in half, drawn through the yarn-over eyelets along the edge, and secured with a simple lark's head knot, adding a playful, bohemian finish

Lace Patterning and Visual Texture

The combination of yarn overs and Central Double Decreases (CDD) arranged in a repeating sequence creates a delicate, open lace motif across the body of the shawl. The CDDs draw stitches toward the center of each motif while the flanking yarn overs maintain the stitch count and produce airy eyelets. This interplay of increases and decreases gives the Isi its distinctive, flowing visual rhythm without requiring complex cable needles or intricate colorwork. The alternating knit and purl wrong-side rows further enhance the textural contrast between the lace sections and the smoother stockinette areas.

Materials

• Yarn: 2 hanks of Berroco Indigo, 100 grams each, in colorway #6414 Jean – a worsted weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition and a satisfying drape well suited to shawl knitting
• Knitting needle: 29-inch circular knitting needle, size 7 (4.50 mm)