Kale Wrap in Rowan Fine Lace - ZB298-00015-DE - Downloadable PDF

Kale Wrap by Lisa Richardson

What is Being Made

The Kale Wrap is a lace shawl designed by Lisa Richardson for Rowan. This shoulder wrap measures 60.5 cm wide and 201 cm long, making it a generous triangular or rectangular shawl suitable for draping across the shoulders. The finished dimensions indicate a substantial garment that provides both coverage and elegant styling options.

Craft and Primary Technique

This is a knitting project worked from a downloadable PDF pattern. The shawl is constructed using lace knitting techniques, which involve strategic yarn overs and decreases to create openwork patterns. The design progresses through multiple pattern repeats, building the shawl to its full dimensions through increases and structured stitch manipulation.

Stitches and Pattern Details

The Kale Wrap employs a 24-row pattern repeat that forms the foundation of the lace design. The pattern includes:

• Yarn overs and decreases creating the characteristic lace openwork
• Right-leaning and left-leaning decreases for directional shaping
• Cable or twist stitches worked on auxiliary needles, creating textural interest within the lace
• Increases worked across rows to expand the shawl dimensions (340 stitches achieved through one-stitch increases in each stitch)
• A tunnel hem finish for a refined edge

The pattern is worked over 84 additional rows following the initial 24-row repeat, ending with row 12 of the pattern for a balanced conclusion.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty. Knitters should be comfortable with lace techniques, reading complex stitch patterns, managing multiple stitches on needles, and working with auxiliary needles for cable or twist elements. The length of the finished piece and the number of stitches in progress require sustained attention and consistent tension.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Kale Wrap is designed to be worked in Rowan Fine Lace yarn, a lace-weight yarn requiring 5 balls of 50g each (approximately 250 grams total). The yarn shown in the pattern photograph is Rowan Fine Lace in the colorway Aged 933.

This project requires two sizes of needles:

• 3 mm needles for initial gauge swatching and foundation rows
• 3¼ mm needles for the main pattern work

Auxiliary needles are also needed for holding stitches during cable or twist maneuvers. The gauge is 28 stitches and 41 rows over 10 x 10 cm when worked in pattern on 3¼ mm needles, which is typical for lace-weight yarn and creates the delicate, open fabric characteristic of this shawl style.

Pattern Structure and Construction

The shawl construction involves careful stitch management, with the pattern requiring 170 stitches to be held on an auxiliary needle at a specific point in the pattern. This technique creates a structured shaping element. The pattern is worked in both right-side and wrong-side rows, with the lace pattern visible on the right side of the fabric. The tunnel hem finish adds a professional, refined edge suitable for blocking and display.