A Shawl to Knit for the Generations

This design was inspired by a saying in Judaism, L’dor v’dor, which means, “from generation to generation,” when translated to English. Typically, it is understood to mean the transmission of the culture’s values, rituals, traditions, and history to the next generation.

While designing and knitting the Generations Shawl, designer Jessica Ays says, she spent time thinking of the things we pass down from one generation to the next – the things that have been passed down to her, and those she is passing down.

I thought of the cookbook that my cousin Jenna made for my Bridal Shower filled with secret family recipes, including some in my Grandma Faye’s own handwriting. I thought of my Aunt Arlene who taught me how to crack an egg to help make her famous matzoh ball soup. I thought of my Mom and her favorite chocolate cake we’d make from scratch on rainy days and snow days … she always let me lick the batter from the bowl after we put it in the oven.
I thought of the little ways I pass on my values and traditions to my children, from the holiday traditions to the everyday little life lessons about how to be a good and kind human.

This asymmetrical shawl starts out with just a few stitches and is the perfect pattern for a gorgeous solid, tonal, or very gently variegated skein of fingering weight yarn. Want a larger shawl? Just keep knitting! This shawl is simple to adjust for a larger size by continuing on with additional repeats.

The lace is simple to follow, and the only stitches used are knits, purls, yarn overs, k2tog, ssk, and m1L.

The pattern is fully written and the repeat is charted, so you can take your pick to work from! And a stitch count table is included to help keep you on track.

It’s worked in superfine yarn, but you could also make a bigger shawl just by using heavier-weight yarn and larger knitting needles. It’s totally up to you!

You can grab the pattern for this pretty shawl on Ravelry or Payhip.

[Photo: Jennifer Ays]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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