Free “Shrowl” Pattern from Stephen West

Thanks to the WEBS Facebook page, my attention was called to this fun new pattern with a funny name. The Shrowl by Stephen West is so named because it’s a shrug and a cowl.

The piece is worked flat, then you sew the cast on and bind off edges together and sew another little seam to make arm holes (if you want to wear it as a shrug; it would be lovely just as a giant cowl).

The project is available as a free download from Ravelry; it’s also part of West’s pattern ebook, WestKnits Book 4: Made for Movement. The 10 pattern collection is full of hats and shawls, and you can buy the whole thing for $20 (or download and printed versions for $22).

Incidentally, West is in the running for the About.com Knitting Readers’ Choice Award for favorite knitwear designer. If you like his stuff, go give him a vote. There are also categories for favorite knitting blog, favorite knitting book of 2012, favorite yarn company and favorite needle brand.

[Photo via Ravelry.]

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway).

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her.

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed.

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting?

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks.

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along.

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options.

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry.

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]

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