Lucky Seven Shawl

Lucky Seven Shawl by Tanja Luescher

What is Being Made

The Lucky Seven Shawl is a slightly asymmetric crescent shawl featuring a distinctive construction composed of seven individual wedges. This knitted accessory combines functional design with decorative patterning, creating a versatile garment suitable for various occasions and seasons. The shawl is worked from the top down, allowing knitters to customize the finished size according to their preferences.

Construction and Design

This intermediate-level knitting project showcases an interesting asymmetric construction that sets it apart from traditional shawl designs. The shawl consists of 7 wedges, each featuring a beautiful cable pattern that creates visual interest and texture throughout the piece. The design includes a knit-on cabled border that frames the main body of the shawl, adding a refined finishing touch to the crescent shape.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The Lucky Seven Shawl employs cable knitting as its primary decorative technique, with cables integrated into both the wedge sections and the border construction. The pattern features a deep pattern repeat that is worked multiple times throughout the shawl's construction. Knitters will work complete charts that include the deep pattern repeat plus additional stitches following the pattern repeat section.

The shawl is worked in a top-down construction method, allowing for flexible sizing. The pattern includes instructions for modifying the size, giving knitters control over the final wingspan and depth measurements. The blocked gauge is 23 stitches and 24 rows over 10 centimeters (4 inches) in pattern work, with each completed pattern repeat cycle consisting of rows 1-18.

Materials and Yarn

The Lucky Seven Shawl is designed for DK weight yarn, making it an accessible project that works up quickly despite its intricate appearance. The pattern specifies Garnstudio Drops Cotton Merino yarn, a blend of 50% cotton and 50% merino wool. This fiber composition provides breathability and comfort alongside the warmth and elasticity of merino. The yardage requirement is approximately 550 meters (600 yards) total, with the pattern calling for 5 balls of the specified yarn in Color 16 Jeans Blue.

Additional materials needed include stitch markers to help track pattern repeats and construction sections throughout the knitting process.

Project Overview

Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, the Lucky Seven Shawl offers an achievable challenge for knitters with some experience. Despite the complexity of the cable patterns and asymmetric construction, the DK weight yarn and straightforward top-down method combine to create an easy and quick knit with a stunning result. The finished shawl measures 110 centimeters (44 inches) in wingspan and 40 centimeters (15.75 inches) in depth at the deepest point of the crescent.