Winter is Coming Grande

This is the Grande or Large version of the first pattern I ever designed on Ravelry, my Winter is Coming Shawl. Lots of people have been waiting for this larger version and here it is at last.

The shawl was inspired by the books and TV series Game of Thrones, but you don’t have to be a GoT enthusiast to enjoy it. Even though some of the inspiration from the series is quite hard and cold I think the final product is actually pretty and feminine. The shawl has different pattern sections separated by garter ridges which provide a link between the sections and draw it all together.

Inspiration from the series:

Wall section: This made me think of Jon Snow going to the wall.

Snow: Winter is coming is a theme throughout the series and books so I wanted a section of snow

Waves: Lands across the sea and the Iron Islands are represented in the wave section.

Dragon Scales: Daenerys and her dragons, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Stakes and Icicles: The war, spears, stakes and swords all represented here. The shawl ends with the Icicle points, the reminded that while they all play at who gets the Iron Throne the real threat is coming from beyond the wall.

What stays the same? The same elongated elegant crescent shape remains. The sections are just bigger this time. The garter ridges divide up the section beautifully as before. The waves, dragon scales and the edge all remain the same.

What is new? The increases all happen at the edges in this version. The wall section has gone through a bit of a revamp and the stitch used is a little different. The snow section, the snowflakes are a little smaller to give an overall feeling of more snow.

I hope that, whether this is the first time you have knitted the Winter is coming shawl or if you have made this one after loving the first one, you enjoy the pattern as much as I have enjoyed revisiting the point that started my journey into being a designer.

Material

Needles

3.25 mm / US 3 at least 100cm / 40” long circular needle for lace weight

or

4mm/US 6 100cm / 40” circular needle for sock / fingering weight yarn

Yarn

Lace Weight yarn 100g: 700m / 765yds

Sample knitted in Wolle und Mehr; 80% Merino, 20% Silk (any lace weight of similar yardage can be substituted)

Fingering weight yarn 225g; 900m / 985yds

Sample knitted in Down Sheepy Lane

Colourways:

• Wall and snow 100% super wash merino 50g (200m)
• Waves and Dragon Scales 100% super wash merino 100g (400m)
• Stakes and Icicles 75% super wash merino, 20% nylon 5% silver stellina 75g (300m)

Notions

Stitch markers (optional)

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Gauge

Lace weight: 24 stitches and 40 rows over 10cm/4” in wall stitch, blocked.

Fingering weight: 18 stitches and 35 rows over 10cm/4” in wall stitch, blocked.

Gauge is not crucial in this pattern; however, it will affect the overall finished size and the amount of yarn that you use.

Size

Lace weight: Finished dimensions

228.6cm (92”) wingspan, 50cm (19.7”) center width

Fingering weight: Finished dimensions

290cm (114”) wingspan, 63cm (25”) center width