Obsession

Obsession Shawl by Aspen Knits

Project Overview

Obsession is an intermediate-level knitted shawl designed by Aspen Knits. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a finished shawl measuring 22 inches (56 cm) wide by 77 inches (196 cm) long, making it a generously sized wrap suitable for layering or draping.

What Is Being Made

This is a two-color knitted shawl featuring a lace border and a structured main body. The design uses contrasting colors strategically: a border color (BC) for the lace edging and a main color (MC) for the body of the shawl. The combination of these two fingering weight yarns in contrasting colors creates visual depth and design interest.

Techniques Used

The Obsession shawl employs several intermediate knitting techniques:

• Intarsia technique: Used to keep separate color sections together without carrying yarn across the back of the work. This method is essential for maintaining clean color transitions between the border color and main color sections.
• Yarn twisting: When transitioning between colors, the working yarns from both colors are twisted together to prevent holes or gaps at color changes.
• Seed stitch: The main body is worked in seed stitch, a textured stitch created by alternating knit and purl stitches to produce an even, bumpy fabric.
• Lace work: The border across the wide end and up the side of the shawl features lace construction, adding an elegant, openwork element to the finished piece.

Stitches Used

The pattern incorporates fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches:

• Knit (K): Basic stitch forming the foundation of the fabric
• Purl (P): Reverse of the knit stitch, used in seed stitch and texture work
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in lace sections
• Purl 2 together (p2tog): A decrease worked on the purl side
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease for balanced shaping in lace patterns
• Yarn over (yo2): Creating yarn overs with two wraps to form lace holes and openwork
• Slip stitch (sl): Used for edge stitches and shaping transitions
• Twist: The working yarns are twisted from both colors together at color changes to prevent separation

Materials and Gauge

The Obsession shawl requires fingering weight yarn in two contrasting colors. The yarn requirements are 325 yards (300 meters) in the border color and 415 yards (380 meters) in the main color, totaling approximately 740 yards of fingering weight yarn. The pattern recommends 2 skeins of Sew Happy Jane fingering weight yarn in contrasting colors.

The gauge is 20 stitches over 4 inches (10 cm) when worked in seed stitch. This gauge is achieved using US Size 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles. Maintaining accurate gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions.

Additional Notions

Beyond yarn and needles, the pattern requires a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and finishing the shawl.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this pattern is suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle color work and lace techniques. The intarsia method and yarn twisting at color changes require attention to detail, while the seed stitch and lace sections build on standard knitting knowledge.