Love Leigh

Love Leigh Shawl by Chic and Regal Knits

Project Overview

Love Leigh is an intermediate-level knitted shawl design available as a downloadable PDF pattern. This versatile shawl project offers two finished size options to suit different preferences and yarn quantities, making it an excellent choice for knitters looking to expand their shawl-making skills.

What Is Being Made

Love Leigh is a triangular or crescent-shaped shawl knitted from the top down or using a similar construction method. The design comes in two variations: the Original Love Leigh and the More to Love Leigh, each with distinct finished dimensions. The Original measures 64 inches long tip-to-tip by 21 inches wide, while the More to Love Leigh version is slightly larger at 66 inches long tip-to-tip by 20 to 32 inches wide, offering flexibility in the final width depending on how the knitter chooses to finish the piece.

Yarn and Materials

Love Leigh is designed to be worked in DK weight yarn. The pattern specifies Malabrigo Silky Merino, a luxurious blend composed of 50% silk and 50% Merino wool. The Original Love Leigh requires 3 skeins of this yarn, with each skein providing 150 yards at 50 grams. The More to Love Leigh variation calls for 4 skeins, allowing for the larger finished dimensions. This yarn choice provides a beautiful drape and subtle sheen characteristic of silk-blend yarns, making it ideal for shawl construction.

Additional materials needed include US Size 9 (5.5 mm) circular needles in either 24-inch or 20-inch lengths, depending on the stitch count at various stages of the pattern. Notions include 13 stitch markers to track pattern repeats and mark the right side of the work, blocking pins and mats for finishing, and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

As an intermediate-level project, Love Leigh incorporates several essential shawl-knitting techniques that build upon basic knitting skills. The pattern uses a combination of increases and decreases to shape the shawl, creating the characteristic triangular or asymmetrical silhouette. Stitch markers play a crucial role in tracking pattern repeats and maintaining consistency throughout the construction process.

The design employs strategic yarn overs and decrease techniques to create visual interest and ensure proper shaping. Blocking is an essential finishing step for this project, helping to even out stitches, enhance drape, and set the final dimensions of the completed shawl.

Stitches Used

Love Leigh utilizes a variety of fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches:

• K (Knit): The basic knit stitch, forming the foundation of the fabric
• P (Purl): The reverse of the knit stitch, often used to create texture and pattern definition
• YO (Yarn Over): Creates decorative eyelets and increases stitches, a hallmark of lace shawl patterns
• K2TOG (Knit Two Together): A right-leaning decrease that reduces stitch count and shapes the shawl
• SSK (Slip Slip Knit): A left-leaning decrease worked by slipping each stitch as if to purl, then inserting the left needle through the front of both slipped stitches and knitting them together through the back loop
• S2KP (Slip 2 Stitches, Knit 1, Pass Slipped Stitches Over): A centered double decrease that creates a more pronounced directional line in the pattern
• KYOK (Knit into Yarn Over Knit): An advanced technique where the knitter works into the same stitch multiple times without dropping it from the needle, creating additional stitches and texture
• PM (Place Marker): Marks specific points in the pattern for easy reference
• SM (Slip Marker): Moves markers from one needle to the next as work progresses

Pattern Characteristics

The combination of yarn overs and decreases creates an elegant lace or textured pattern typical of contemporary shawl design. The use of multiple stitch markers indicates that Love Leigh likely features repeating pattern