We finally got a little break in the super-hot weather where I live, and while it’s a little early to be expecting fall, it probably is time we can start thinking about some knitting that will help us transition into slightly cooler weather.
The Open Air Wrap from Purl Soho is just the sort of thing to get you into the next season in style. This mesh stitch rectangular wrap was originally designed by Whitney Van Nes but was updated to use a special new yarn by Hiromi Glover. The yarn is called Handwritten, and its a Japanese organic cotton laceweight ribbon yarn that comes in 26 colors. Each spool has 900 yards so you only need two of them to make the wrap.
Two strands of yarn are held together to knit this wrap, so you can play with two brightly contrasting colors of pick similar hues for a more organic look. Either way this is actually a pretty fast and easy project even worked on rather small size 4 US/3.5 mm knitting needles. (You’ll want double-pointed needles to make it easier to work the required number of stitches.
One thing that’s interesting about this pattern is that it’s a one-row repeat of yarn over increases and decreases, but instead of knit 2 togethers the decreases are purl 2 togethers. The pattern explains that this is actually easier to do and doesn’t have the tendency to bias like a fabric full of knit 2 togethers would.
If you haven’t worked a purl 2 together before you should practice on your swatch before starting the pattern.
The finished shawl is about 20.25 by 72 inches long after blocking. The cotton yarn and the lacy stitch make it lightweight and drapey but still able to add a bit of warmth to you outfits as the weather starts to cool.
You can get the free pattern from Purl Soho, and check out all the fun color combinations.
[Photo: Purl Soho]
