Libelula shawl

Libelula Shawl by Ruth Garcia-Alcantud

What Is Being Made

The Libelula shawl is a luxurious knitted shawl measuring 68 inches by 30 inches (172 cm by 76 cm) when finished. This design creates an elegant, wearable accessory suitable for draping over shoulders or wearing as a wrap. The shawl features beadwork integration, adding decorative embellishment and visual interest to the knitted fabric.

Yarn and Materials

This shawl is crafted using The Mulberry dyer silk Lace yarn, which is composed of 100% silk. One skein is required, with each skein containing 1000 meters of yarn per 100 grams. The sample shown features the shade Fustic/indigo, a rich color combination achieved through natural dyeing techniques.

Additional materials include approximately 700 beads in size 8/0 for embellishment. A 0.50mm crochet hook or thread and needle is needed for bead positioning during construction.

Knitting Needles and Tools

The shawl is worked on US 4 / 3.5 mm circular knitting needles. Essential notions include stitch markers, a tapestry needle, scissors, and blocking equipment. Blocking is an important finishing step for this project to achieve the intended drape and dimensions.

Gauge and Tension

The blocked gauge is 34 stitches over 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch. The pattern notes that gauge is not essential for this design, allowing for greater flexibility in execution and customization based on individual knitting tension.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The Libelula shawl employs a variety of intermediate to advanced knitting techniques typical of lace shawl construction:

• Yarn overs (yo): Used throughout to create the openwork lace pattern characteristic of shawl designs
• Decreases: Multiple decrease methods are utilized, including ssk (slip, slip, knit), sssk (slip, slip, slip, knit), k2tog (knit 2 together), k3tog (knit 3 together), and p2tog (purl 2 together)
• Central double decrease (CDD5): A specialized decrease worked on the right side by slipping 3 stitches as if to knit 3 together, knitting 2 together, then passing the slipped stitches over
• Purl decreases: Including p2togtbl (purl 2 together through the back loop) and p3tog (purl 3 together) for shaping on wrong-side rows
• 5-stitch increase (5-inc): A textured increase worked on the wrong side by purling 1, yarn over, purling 1, yarn over, purling 1 into the same stitch
• Stockinette stitch: The base fabric, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows
• Beading integration: Beads are positioned using a crochet hook or needle and thread method, allowing for precise placement of embellishment within the knitted fabric

Pattern Structure

The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations and includes right-side and wrong-side row instructions. Stitch markers are employed to track pattern repeats and construction sections. The combination of yarn overs and strategic decreases creates the lace motifs that define the shawl's design, while the beading adds dimensional detail and sparkle to the finished piece.