A Sweet Shawl to Knit for Wedding Season

It’s probably because Gemma’s Wrap, a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn, is shown in a pretty, soft lavender colored yarn that it makes me think of weddings. But it’s also true that this would be a great project to knit to wear to a wedding or another special occasion where you might need a little extra warmth.

It’s a relatively easy pattern, worked in two halves from a short side so you can make it any length you like. There’s a bit of ribbing at the edge and then two sections of lace, with the main part of the body worked in stockinette stitch.

The lace sections are written out in the pattern, but there’s also a chart if you prefer. When each section of the shawl is finished, you leave the stitches live and finish the project by grafting the pieces together.

While it’s meant to be worn as a shawl, those ribbed edges make me think you could also make it into a shrug by holding the long edges together and sewing a seam on each end to turn the lace section (or however much of it you need) into a sleeve. This would make it a little easier to wear and highlight the lace sections more because they wouldn’t be wrapped up behind you when you wear it.

The project uses worsted weight yarn (shown here in Lion Brand Heartland) and measures about 17 by 60 inches as shown. It would be lovely for spring and summer in a pastel tint as shown, or use a darker color for other times of the year.

In addition to yarn and knitting needles, you’ll need a stitch holder or two (or some spare yarn to hold the stitches) and a yarn needle for sewing the pieces together.

You can get the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn from Lion Brand.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn.]

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I don’t know if you all know this about me, but I’m a huge fan of the Studio Ghibli movies and the books that inspired them. Calcifer, if you don’t already know, is an important character in the book and the movie Howl’s Moving Castle, which is one of my daughter’s favorites (though she did like the book better thanks to some changes that were made for the movie).

Whether you’ve got a Ghibli (or Diana Wynne Jones) fan in your house or you just want to knit a roaring fire to sit in your fireplace in the off season, the Calcifer Knitted Plushie from Kamila Hernandez Firl is here for you.

This irresistible pattern is super cute even if you aren’t familiar with the story (which I won’t spoil for you, but you should check it out!).

The pattern calls for DK weight yarn in eight different colors, for of which make the colors of the flame, two browns for the log and black and white for details. You’ll also need some black embroidery thread for finishing the details on the face. The project is worked in the round, with the flame and the log worked separately, stuffed and sewn together. The general instructions for the pattern are written, but the color changes (and some shaping on the flames) are shown in chart form, so you should have some familiarity with reading and following charts before you start this one.

It’s well worth learning how to do it if you know someone who loves Calcifer, or even just to make a pretend play “campfire” for your kiddos who aren’t old enough to know who Calcifer is yet. They’ll thank you later.

This pattern is free to download on Ravelry, so go check it out and get ready to stitch up some firey fun.

[Photo: Kamila Hernandez Firl]

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