Defragmentation Shawl -- PDF knitting pattern

Remember when computers used to prompt you to defragment the hard drive? The colorful little blocks of data would reorganize and condense themselves into neat stacks. The zigzagging threads of the assigned pooling section of this shawl remind me of those bits of data in need of defragmentation.

This asymmetrical triangular shawl transitions between broken rib, wide bands of garter stitch, and a stockinette section with optional elongated stitches. A picot bind-off adds a fun pop of color along the final edge. The pattern sections are easily adaptable to use up all of one’s yarn.

Defragmentation is an easy, relaxing project that uses two skeins of fingering weight yarn. Knitters may choose to use one skein of assigned pooling yarn, but the pattern can also be made with a variegated or solid color instead, together with a contrasting color.

Gauge is not critical for this pattern, but using a different yarn weight or needle size will affect the size of the finished shawl.

All instructions are both written and charted.

Size

72” / 183 cm in length and 25” / 63.5 cm deep at its deepest point

Yarn

800 yds / 732 m of fingering weight yarn (approx. 400 yds / 366 m of two colors)

Sample shown in Dragonfly Fibers Pixie (100% superwash merino wool; 430 yds / 393 m per 4 oz / 113 g) in Blue Dream (C1) and Canon Hand Dyes Pixie (100% superwash merino wool; 400 yds / 393 m per 4 oz / 113 g) in Assigned Pooling (C2)

Needles

US Size 4 / 3.5 mm circular needles, at least 40” / 100 cm in length

Gauge

22 sts and 36 rows per 4” / 10 cm in Broken Rib after blocking

22 sts and 29 rows per 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette (with elongated stitches) after blocking

Notions

Yarn needle