Circinae

Circinae Shawl by Carissa Browning

What is Being Made

Circinae is a top-down, center-out shawl designed by Carissa Browning featuring a distinctive feather-like construction. The shawl expands outward with columns of brioche stitching that fan in a radial pattern, creating a dramatic wingspan effect. The pattern is engineered to work with gradient yarn of varying yardages, allowing knitters to customize the finished size based on available yarn—ranging from 400 to 2000 yards. The sample shawl measures approximately 17 inches deep at the center and spans 75 inches across (90 inches along the curved top edge), though finished dimensions are flexible and determined by the crafter's yarn supply and desired wingspan.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level project employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its sculptural form. The top-down construction method allows knitters to begin at the center point and expand outward, making it easy to adjust the final size by simply continuing until yarn runs low. The center-out shaping creates the radiating feather effect through strategic increases. Brioche knitting forms the structural columns throughout the design, a technique that creates a distinctive textured, elastic fabric with dimensional depth. The brioche stitches are worked in columns that fan outward, mimicking the natural arrangement of feathers on a bird's wing. This construction method makes the shawl particularly well-suited to showcasing gradient yarn, as the color transitions naturally follow the expanding shape of the garment.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch structure centers on brioche rib, which is the featured stitch throughout the shawl. Brioche ribbing creates a reversible, highly elastic fabric by knitting into the yarn overs from the previous row, producing a luxurious, dimensional texture. The pattern is organized into columns of brioche that expand radially from the center, with the column structure creating the feather-like visual effect. The top-down, center-out approach requires strategic increases to expand the shawl outward while maintaining the brioche column definition.

Materials

The Circinae pattern is written to accommodate gradient sock-weight yarn in the 4-ply category. The sample was knitted using two different gradient yarns from Panorama Fiber Arts: the Shade Shifting Gradient Traveler Sock yarn (75% merino, 15% nylon, 10% tencel; 450 yards per 100g skein) in the Dragonfly colorway, and the Hitchhiker Sock yarn (75% merino, 25% nylon; 460 yards per 100g skein) in the Mojito colorway. These fiber blends provide elasticity, durability, and a smooth finish ideal for showcasing brioche stitchwork. Knitters will need a US #3/3.25mm circular needle measuring at least 24 inches in length to accommodate the expanding stitch count. A tapestry needle in bi-color brioche is recommended for weaving in ends and any necessary finishing work. The pattern suggests having 40 or more stitch markers available (optional but helpful) for tracking the brioche columns as they expand outward. After blocking, the gauge is 16 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in brioche rib.