Lasciel

Lasciel Shawl by Mary E Rose Designs

Project Overview

Lasciel is an advanced knitting pattern for a top-down triangle shawl designed by Mary E Rose. Inspired by the character Lasciel from Jim Butcher's Dresden File Books series, this shawl is crafted for adventurous knitters seeking to explore complex beading and lace techniques. The finished shawl measures 67.5 inches across with a 35.5 inch drop, making it a substantial and elegant accessory.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

This pattern challenges knitters with an array of advanced techniques that go beyond basic lace knitting. The design incorporates multiple sophisticated stitch methods:

• Lace – The foundational openwork structure that creates the shawl's delicate appearance
• Nupps – Decorative bobble-like stitches that add textural interest and dimension to the lace fabric
• Beaded Nupps – A combination technique where beads are integrated directly into nupp stitches for enhanced embellishment
• Beads Covering Multiple Stitches – Strategic bead placement that spans across several stitches simultaneously, creating bold focal points within the lace pattern
• Two Types of Beads – The pattern employs both size 8/0 and size 11/0 beads, offering visual variety and allowing the designer to create contrast and depth through different bead scales

Materials and Specifications

The sample shawl was knitted using ColurMart Alpaca/Wool blend yarn in a 2/15nm weight. The yarn composition combines alpaca and wool fibers, creating a soft, warm fabric with excellent drape suitable for shawls. Approximately 800 yards of yarn (730 meters) from a 150-gram skein is required, using roughly 100 grams (3.52 ounces) of the total yardage available.

Knitting needles are US Size 4 (3.5 mm) in a 40-inch circular configuration, which accommodates the expanding triangle construction typical of top-down shawl patterns. The gauge after wet blocking is 24 stitches and 22 rows per 4 inches (10 centimeters) in pattern.

Beading Notions and Tools

Beyond yarn and needles, this project requires specialized beading supplies. The pattern calls for 24 grams of size 8/0 beads and 8 grams of size 11/0 beads, totaling two distinct bead sizes for varied visual effects. A size 16 crochet hook is used as the primary beading tool, allowing the knitter to thread beads onto the yarn before knitting or to add them as the work progresses. Additional notions include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, a large-eyed tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends, and optional blocking wires to shape and set the finished shawl.

Yarn Weight and Difficulty Level

The pattern accommodates both 3-ply and 4-ply yarn weights, providing some flexibility in fiber selection while maintaining the intended gauge and drape. This is classified as an advanced difficulty pattern, appropriate for experienced knitters comfortable with reading complex stitch charts, managing multiple beading techniques simultaneously, and executing intricate lace decreases and increases that define the shawl's shape.

Design Inspiration

The Lasciel shawl draws thematic inspiration from the character Lasciel, known as The Temptress, a rebel angel from Jim Butcher's Dresden File series. This literary reference informs the pattern's sophisticated and somewhat daring aesthetic, encouraging knitters to embrace the "dark side" of advanced techniques and push their skill boundaries.