Two Roads

Two Roads Shawl by Meghan Jackson

What is Being Made

Two Roads is an advanced knitting shawl pattern designed by Meghan Jackson for Zen Butterfly Knits. Inspired by Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken, this shawl offers knitters multiple creative choices throughout the construction process. The pattern provides options for two different finished sizes—a smaller kerchief-sized version or a larger shawl-sized version—allowing knitters to customize their project based on personal preference and intended use.

Design Features and Customization Options

The Two Roads shawl distinguishes itself through its interactive design approach, presenting knitters with meaningful choices at each step of the pattern. These customization options include:

• Single color or two-color colorwork options
• Beaded embellishment or unbeaded version
• Small kerchief-sized finished dimensions or large shawl-sized dimensions

This flexible design philosophy ensures that each finished shawl is uniquely personalized to the knitter's preferences, creating an accessory that reflects individual creative decisions and provides genuine satisfaction in both the knitting process and the final wearable result.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

As an advanced-level knitting pattern, Two Roads employs sophisticated shawl construction techniques suitable for experienced knitters. The pattern utilizes circular needles and incorporates shaping methods typical of contemporary shawl design. When the beaded option is selected, knitters will integrate size 6 Japanese seed beads into their stitchwork, requiring knowledge of bead placement techniques during knitting.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Two Roads pattern calls for specific needle sizes and high-quality yarn to achieve proper gauge and fabric characteristics:

• Needles: US #5 (3.75 mm) circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge; US #7 (4.5 mm) circular needles listed as optional
• Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Silk Single, a luxury fingering weight yarn composed of 75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, and 10% Silk
• Yardage: Approximately 430 yards per 100 grams; 1 skein required for small size, 2 skeins for large size
• Weight Class: 4-ply single ply fingering weight
• Optional Embellishment: Size 6 Japanese seed beads for beaded version

The Serenity Silk Single yarn provides an elegant blend of performance and luxury fiber content, with the superwash merino offering durability and easy care, while the cashmere and silk contribute softness and subtle sheen to the finished shawl.