Nest Shawl in Rowan Pebble Island (DE) - Downloadable PDF

Nest Shawl in Rowan Pebble Island

What is Being Made

The Nest Shawl is a knitted wrap-style shawl designed by Erika Knight. This finished piece measures 216 centimeters in length and 54 centimeters in width, making it a generous accessory suitable for layering or draping. The shawl is constructed from 36 individual squares, each measuring 18 by 18 centimeters, which are knitted separately and then assembled together to create the complete garment.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several fundamental shawl construction techniques. The primary method involves modular knitting, where individual squares are created independently and then joined to form the larger piece. Each square is worked using an increase-based construction, beginning with a small number of stitches and progressively expanding through strategic stitch increases to achieve the final square dimensions. The shawl features color work, incorporating embroidery details in the same yarn for decorative accents. The squares are worked in garter stitch, which creates a reversible, textured fabric with visual interest on both sides.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch (kraus rechts) as the primary fabric stitch
• Knit stitches (rechts) for forward rows
• Purl stitches (implied for reverse rows in garter stitch construction)
• Stitch increases (verdoppeln/doubling) to expand each square from 2 stitches to 16 stitches
• Embroidery stitches using yarn for surface decoration

Materials

This project is worked with Rowan Pebble Island yarn in a worsted weight. The primary colors used are Kelp (color 028) requiring 6 balls of 50 grams each, and Marble (color 020) requiring 13 balls of 50 grams each. Small quantities of Tussac (color 023) in the same yarn are used for embroidery embellishments. Knitting needles in size 4½ millimeters are required for all knitting. The stitch gauge is 20 stitches and 38 rows over 10 by 10 centimeters when working garter stitch with size 4½ needles.

Construction Details

Each of the 36 squares begins with 2 stitches cast on with color A (Kelp) using size 4½ needles. The square grows through a systematic increase pattern: the first row doubles the final stitch to create 3 stitches, the second row increases to 4 stitches, and subsequent rows continue increasing by one stitch until reaching 10 stitches. The shawl then transitions to color B (Marble), continuing the increase pattern until each square reaches 16 stitches. This modular approach allows for flexible construction and makes the project manageable for intermediate knitters.