Flow

Flow Shawl by Andrea Rangel

What Is Being Made

Flow is a seamless knitted shawl designed to be worked end-to-end in a single continuous piece. The shawl features an integrated lace edging that is worked simultaneously with the garter stitch body, creating a cohesive design without requiring seaming. This intermediate-level project produces a finished shawl measuring 72 inches (183 cm) in length and 19 inches (48 cm) at its widest point, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering or draping.

Techniques Used

The Flow shawl employs several key knitting techniques that define its construction and visual appeal. The primary technique is end-to-end construction, which allows the shawl to be created as one seamless piece without joining separate components. Garter stitch forms the main body of the shawl, providing a textured, reversible fabric that is both forgiving and visually interesting. The integrated lace edging is worked concurrently with the body stitches, eliminating the need for a separate finishing step and ensuring the edging is structurally sound.

Additional techniques include stitch increases and decreases to shape the shawl and create the lace pattern effects. Blocking is an essential finishing technique for this project, helping to even out the stitches and set the final dimensions of the completed shawl.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined with shaping techniques:

• Knit (K) – the basic stitch forming the garter stitch fabric
• Purl (P) – used in combination with knit stitches to create textural variation
• Knit 2 Together (K2tog) – a right-leaning decrease used for shaping and lace pattern definition
• Purl 2 Together (P2tog) – a left-leaning decrease worked on purl rows
• Purl 2 Together Through Back Loops (P2togtbl) – a specialized decrease variation for specific shaping requirements
• Make 1 (M1) – an increase stitch created by inserting the right needle into the bar between stitches from front to back, placing the stitch on the left needle with the leading leg in front, and knitting into the back of the stitch with a twist to create one additional stitch

Materials Required

The Flow shawl requires 725 yards (665 meters) of DK weight yarn. The pattern is shown in Hazel Knits DK Lively, a yarn blend consisting of 90% Merino wool and 10% Nylon, which provides durability and elasticity. This yarn is available in 275-yard (251-meter) skeins of 130 grams, requiring approximately 3 skeins to complete the project. The sample shown is worked in the colorway Nickel.

Needles and notions include US #8 (5.00 mm) needles as the recommended size, though the pattern notes that needle size should be adjusted as necessary to achieve the specified gauge of 19 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in garter stitch. Additional supplies needed are a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, place markers for tracking pattern repeats, and blocking pins and wires for the finishing process.

Pattern Characteristics

This intermediate-level project combines the meditative simplicity of garter stitch with the visual interest of lace edging, making it accessible to knitters with some experience while remaining engaging throughout the construction process. The end-to-end construction method and integrated edging eliminate common finishing challenges, allowing the focus to remain on maintaining consistent gauge and executing the shaping decreases and increases accurately.