Alice Shawl in Schachenmayr Cotton Bambulino - S10656 - Downloadable PDF

Alice Shawl in Schachenmayr Cotton Bambulino – Pattern S10656

The Alice Shawl (S10656) is a beautifully structured, elongated knitted shawl designed by Melanie and Ursula Marxer for Schachenmayr. Worked at an intermediate difficulty level, this downloadable PDF knitting pattern produces a striking geometric accessory that showcases a clever combination of colorwork and directional shaping. The finished shawl measures approximately 18 x 270 cm, making it a long, elegant wrap suitable for draping over the shoulders or winding around the neck across multiple seasons.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a long, narrow knitted shawl featuring a dynamic striped basic pattern worked in two colors, punctuated by a series of triangles pointing to the right that are built directly into the fabric using short-row-style construction and a stitch holder technique. The geometric triangles create a bold, graphic effect against the striped background, giving the shawl a contemporary, architectural appearance. The overall silhouette is long and lean, ideal for wearing as a sophisticated accessory.

Design Structure and Construction

The shawl is cast on using a long-tail cast-on method with 2 strands of yarn held together, beginning with 78 stitches in Color A. The construction is worked flat, with the fabric shifting directionally as it grows: in every right-side row, 1 stitch is increased after the selvage stitch while a k2tog decrease is worked before the opposite selvage stitch. This keeps the stitch count constant while causing the fabric to travel diagonally, creating the characteristic slanted texture of the basic pattern.

After the side edge reaches 20 cm (approximately 52 rows) in the basic pattern, the first of the decorative triangles is introduced on the left side of the piece. Stitches are placed on a stitch holder while the triangle is built up gradually by incorporating held stitches one at a time on wrong-side rows, alternating between Color D and Color C on successive right-side and wrong-side rows. This methodical process of picking up held stitches and working short sections creates the pointed triangular motifs that are a defining feature of the design.

Techniques Used

• Long-tail cast-on – a firm, elastic cast-on well suited to the structured edge of this shawl
• Directional knitting with simultaneous increase and decrease – working a make 1 increase and a k2tog decrease in every right-side row to shift the fabric diagonally while maintaining a constant stitch count
• Increase 1 stitch (lifted bar increase) – inserting the right-hand needle under the bar before the next stitch, lifting it onto the left-hand needle, and knitting through the front loop to avoid a hole
• k2tog (knit two together) – a standard right-leaning decrease used to shape the directional movement of the fabric
• Stitch holder technique – placing the majority of stitches on hold while working the triangular motifs separately, then reintegrating held stitches one at a time
• Colorwork with multiple colors – alternating between up to five colors across the pattern to create stripes and geometric triangle motifs
• Selvage stitches – worked consistently at both edges to create a neat, stable border throughout
• Working with 2 strands held together – the yarn is doubled for the cast-on, adding structure to the foundation edge

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (RS) – the primary stitch forming the fabric surface
• Purl stitch (WS) – used on wrong-side rows to complete the stockinette-based basic pattern, and specifically called out in the first wrong-side row after cast-on
• k2tog – knit two stitches together, a basic decrease
• Lifted bar increase (M1-style) – a nearly invisible increase worked from the bar between stitches