Water's Edge

Water's Edge Crescent Shawl by Christina Loman

What is Being Made

Water's Edge is an elegant crescent-shaped shawl designed by Christina Loman as a sophisticated layering piece. This one-size shawl measures 64 inches in width and 28 inches in length, making it the perfect size to drape gracefully over your shoulders while providing just enough warmth for cool weather strolls. The crescent silhouette creates a flattering, modern aesthetic that works beautifully with both casual and dressy outfits.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

This advanced-level knitting project employs several sophisticated shaping and embellishment techniques to achieve its distinctive design. The shawl's signature crescent shape is built using short rows, a technique that adds depth and dimension by working back and forth across partial sections of stitches. This method creates the elegant curved silhouette without requiring increases or decreases across the entire width.

The body of the shawl features drop-stitch patterning, which is a decorative technique where stitches are intentionally dropped and allowed to unravel vertically, creating an open, lacy texture. This stitch pattern is particularly effective for showcasing variegated yarns, as the color changes become more visually prominent through the openwork sections.

The shawl is finished with a scalloped edging that adds an ornamental border, and this edging is further embellished with beadwork for a luxurious finishing touch.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

Water's Edge incorporates charted stitch patterns that guide the knitter through the design. The pattern includes two main charts:

• Seafoam Chart – This section repeats at 4 inches wide by 2 inches tall
• Beaded Waves Chart – This section repeats at 2 inches wide by 4 inches tall

The beaded waves pattern integrates glass seed beads directly into the knitted fabric, requiring a beading hook or floss yarn needle to thread beads onto the working yarn before incorporating them into specific stitches.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

This project uses Zen Duality yarn by Yarn Zen in the colorway Beachcomber. The yarn is a 4-ply weight composed of 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon, providing both softness and durability. Each 100-gram skein yields 460 yards (420 meters), and the pattern requires 2 skeins to complete the finished shawl.

The superwash merino content ensures easy care and maintenance, while the nylon blend adds strength and elasticity to the finished fabric. The variegated nature of the Beachcomber colorway is specifically highlighted as being beautifully showcased by the drop-stitch patterning throughout the design.

Needles and Notions

Water's Edge is worked on US #4/3.5mm needles, which are sized appropriately for 4-ply yarn. The pattern requires both double-point needles and a circular needle in this size:

• 1 set of US #4/3.5mm double-point needles
• 1 length of US #4/3.5mm circular needle

Beyond needles, the project includes substantial beadwork: 1,710 glass seed beads are incorporated throughout the scalloped edging. Additional notions include a beading hook or floss yarn needle for threading beads, and a yarn needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge

Accurate gauge is essential for this advanced project. The Seafoam Chart section should measure 4 inches wide by 2 inches tall per repeat, while the Beaded Waves Chart section should measure 2 inches wide by 4 inches tall per repeat. Knitters should swatch and measure carefully before beginning to ensure the finished shawl achieves the intended dimensions.

Difficulty Level

Water's Edge is rated as an advanced knitting project, making it ideal for experienced knitters who are comfortable with complex techniques. The combination of short-row shaping, drop-stitch patterning, charted stitch patterns, and beadwork integration requires strong foundational skills and the ability to troubleshoot potential issues. This is an excellent project for knitters looking to expand their technical abilities and create a heirloom-quality garment.