Meditative Shawl

This meditative shawl combines meandering paths of gentle lace for a mindful experience. It is soothing and gentle both in the knitting and the wearing.

This piece begins with an entire field of lace, traversing across the paths made by the traveling knit stitches between curving eyelet sections. The shawl shrinks bit by bit in neat and subtle decreases along a single side for an asymmetrical triangle. 

Eventually, the path narrows to one singular point for the mind to focus on, binding off a single final stitch.

The lace paths are inspired by meditation labyrinths, which are used in spiritual traditions around the world for mindful walking and breathing. The easy-to-memorize lace creates rhythmic and comforting mindfulness for the knitter to ponder as they work.

Finished Size

Width at cast on: 32” / 81 cm

Height of shawl: 52” / 132 cm

Wingspan: 60” / 152.5 cm

Depth: 32” / 81.28

Yarn Selection & Yardage

3 plates of Woollentwine Fibre Studio Thrive base in colorway “Linen”, 100g per plate, held double throughout. This is an unspun yarn that is a blend of various rustic wools local to the mill, and has a soft hand, a lot of crimp, and DK weight when single.

OR any unspun yarn held double

OR 725 yards / 675 meters of any chunky weight woolen spun yarn. Woolen spun yarn is suggested as an alternative to unspun because it has lighter hand and grist than worsted spun yarn.

Alternate unspun yarns include Plotulopi, Manchelopi, or Nutiden (all held double). Alternate woolen spun yarns include De Rerum Natura Cyrano, Brooklyn Tweed Quarry, or or Harrisville Designs Daylights or Nightshades held double.

Gauge

14 sts and 24 rows = 4” x 4¾” / 11.5 x 12 cm in lace chart, knit flat. 

14 sts and 20 rows = 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette Stitch, knit flat.

Needles

1 circular needle, 40” or above, in size US9 / 5.5 mm, or size to get gauge.

Notions

tapestry needle, 2 stitch markers, and optionally, 7 more markers to mark repeats of lace.

Skills Needed

• Garter Stitch
• Long Tail Cast On
• Increases and decreases
• Basic understanding of yarn over and decrease pairs in lace and working lace in either written or charted repeats format

Construction Notes

A swatch chart is provided to swatch nearly 2 repeats as they would appear in the shawl. You may swatch this with a garter border on all edges, which is also worked on the shawl. This pattern is written for intermediate knitters. It requires that knitters be able to identify pairs or trios of decreases and yarn overs in a lace chart. When a paired or trio of decreases (such as yo and k2tog or 2 yo’s and k3tog) cannot be com-pleted, omit them entirely. 

Credits

Tech Editing: Heather Storta

Web & Accessibility Support: Symphony Chau

Layout: Aimee Sher

Photos: Roy and Aimee Sher

Accessibility

• The low vision pattern file has tagged header structure for screenreader users.
• The low vision file has 22 pt font, black text on white background, no italics, and bolded font for emphasis only throughout.
• All images in the low vision pattern have alt text.
• All charted instructions come with written alternatives.