Montelena Shawl

Montelena Shawl by Irina Anikeeva

Garment Overview

The Montelena Shawl is an intermediate-level triangular shawl designed by Irina Anikeeva. This downloadable knitting pattern produces a generous wingspan of approximately 66 inches (165 cm) with a depth of 36 inches (90 cm), making it a substantial wrap suitable for layering or draping. The shawl is constructed using a side-to-side construction method, beginning at the narrow tip and expanding progressively toward the wide edge.

Construction Technique

The Montelena Shawl employs a side-to-side knitting approach, which allows knitters to work the piece from one narrow point across to the opposite edge. This construction method requires the use of a circular needle to accommodate the increasing number of stitches as the shawl expands. The pattern is worked back and forth in rows, utilizing charted instructions that must be read directionally: from right to left on right-side (RS) rows (odd-numbered rows) and from left to right on wrong-side (WS) rows (even-numbered rows). Knitters are encouraged to place stitch markers between chart repetitions to assist with pattern tracking and accuracy.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Montelena Shawl incorporates fundamental knitting stitches combined with charted colorwork or textural elements. The core stitches used include:

• Knit (K) – the basic knit stitch forming the primary fabric structure
• Purl (P) – the reverse of the knit stitch, used to create texture and pattern definition
• Slip 1 stitch with yarn in back (Sl1WB) – a slipped stitch technique that creates clean edges and contributes to the shawl's finished appearance

The pattern is worked from charted instructions, indicating a structured, repeating pattern design that creates visual interest across the finished fabric.

Yarn and Needle Specifications

The Montelena Shawl is designed for fingering-weight yarn, requiring approximately 680 yards (622 meters) of yarn. The pattern specifies Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply, a superwash merino wool yarn (100% content) with 400 yards per 365 meters per 115-gram skein. Two skeins of Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply in the colorway Month of Sundays are required to complete the project.

Knitters should use a US 4/3.5 mm circular needle in a length of 24–32 inches (60–80 cm) to accommodate the expanding stitch count. Needle size may be adjusted as necessary to achieve the correct gauge of 23 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in the charted pattern.

Additional Notions

Beyond yarn and needles, the Montelena Shawl pattern requires stitch markers to aid in tracking pattern repeats and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and finishing the garment after blocking.

Finishing

Finished measurements are taken from the relaxed fabric after blocking, indicating that blocking is an essential step in achieving the stated dimensions and optimal drape of the completed shawl.