Herring Run

Herring Run Shawl by Corrine Walcher

What is Being Made

Herring Run is an intermediate-level knitted shawl designed by Corrine Walcher. This triangular shawl features a lace panel running down the back with a knitted-on edging that creates a refined, finished appearance. The shawl measures 24 inches in depth and 60 inches across the wingspan when completed, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering or wearing as a wrap. The design was inspired by Herring Run, a park in Baltimore, creating a piece with personal significance and meaningful connection to place.

Techniques Used

This shawl employs several key knitting techniques that define its construction and visual appeal. The primary technique is lace knitting, which creates the decorative panel down the back of the shawl through strategic yarn overs and decreases. The shawl also features a knitted-on edging, a technique where stitches are actively knitted onto the main body rather than picked up and worked separately, creating a seamless and professional finish. The pattern requires understanding of wet-blocking, a finishing technique essential for opening up the lace stitches and achieving the intended drape and dimensions of the completed shawl.

Stitches and Abbreviations

The Herring Run pattern uses fundamental knitting stitches combined with lace-specific decreases and yarn overs:

• K (Knit): The basic knit stitch forming the foundation of the shawl
• P (Purl): The reverse of the knit stitch, used for texture and pattern variation
• K2tog (Knit two together): A right-leaning decrease that reduces stitch count while creating lace holes
• P2tog (Purl two together): A purl-side decrease used throughout the pattern
• P2togB (Purl two together through back loop): A specialized decrease that joins one stitch from the lace section with one from the body of the shawl, creating the seamless integration of the edging
• YO (Yarn over): A deliberate increase that creates the characteristic open holes in lace patterns
• DYO (Double yarn over): Two consecutive yarn overs that create larger openings in the lace design
• PM (Place marker): Used to mark pattern sections for easier tracking
• SM (Slip marker): Moving a marker from one needle to the next without knitting it
• Sl (Slip one as if to knit): Moving a stitch from one needle to another without working it

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Herring Run shawl is designed to work with sport-weight yarn, accommodating the 3-ply and 4-ply yarn weight categories. The sample was knit using Dragonfly Fibers Selkie Sport, a luxurious blend of 70% Bluefaced Leicester and 30% Mulberry Silk. This yarn composition provides both warmth and drape, with the silk content contributing to the shawl's elegant movement and subtle sheen. The sample used 580 yards of yarn, though the pattern calls for approximately 340 yards per 4 ounces, allowing for flexibility based on desired finished dimensions.

The pattern requires a 32-inch circular needle in US size 4 (3.5mm), or a size adjusted to achieve the specified gauge. Circular needles accommodate the increasing stitch count typical of shawl construction and allow for comfortable handling of the growing fabric. The gauge is established at 20 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in wet-blocked stockinette stitch. While gauge is noted as not critical for this item, maintaining consistent tension will directly affect the final size, total yardage used, and the drape of the completed shawl.

Difficulty Level

Herring Run is rated as an intermediate-level project, making it suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to expand their technical abilities. The combination of lace knitting, shaping techniques, and the knitted-on edging requires comfort with reading lace charts and managing multiple pattern elements simultaneously. Knitters should have experience with basic decreases and yarn overs before beginning this project.