Knit a Comforting Shawl in Lace and Cables

As we were scrambling around that last weekend when we left the house somewhat normally (which was less than three weeks ago!) I decided I wanted to start a new knitting project that would be my “isolation project” (though the way this is going there will probably be more than one, and I need to finish things I was already working on as well).

I decided I wanted to knit a shawl, and am finally doing Find Your Fade, since I never managed one back when that pattern was everywhere. I’m on the fourth color, though I am trying to rotate projects now so it’s slower going.

The Beaufort shawl from Berroco would be another great choice for some comfort knitting in these times. It’s a simple rectangle shape, so you don’t have to pay that much attention, but it includes bands of lace and cables to make it interesting.

It’s worked in their Summer Silk yarn, a blend of silk, cotton and nylon, which is perfect for spanning the seasons.

You can grab the free pattern on their website.

[Photo: Berroco Yarn.]

Looking for more Cable-styled knitting patterns? Check out these Cable Knit Patterns on Etsy

The butterfly on this piece — the Owl Butterfly Playmat by Sophie’s Stitches — caught my eye before I even knew what the project was. Now that I’ve give it a closer look I’m still not 100 percent sure what it is meant to be for, but I still love it.

I think it’s maybe to give you a flat surface to roll dice or play cards on, but there are no images of the project in use so I’m just speculating on that. If you know what it is, be sure to let me know!

What it physically is is a worsted weight mat (the sample is worked in cotton) that measures 14 by 24 inches, or 35.5 by 61 cm. The impression I get from the pattern notes and the photos is that you knit the rectangle plain and the butterfly is stitched on after using duplicate stitch, which is provided as a chart.

Of course you could choose to knit some of the colorwork as you go, either using stranded knitting or intarsia techniques, or maybe some of both. It just looks like a lot of duplicate stitch (and it is!) so knowing me if I were making this project I’d probably try to knit some of it instead of stitching it all.

The pattern also suggests that you can knit a second plain mat to sew on the back and cover up all the yarn ends, as well as making the mat thicker and a little more stable. There’s also a photo that shows fabric sewn to the back, which is also a good option if you have some fabric that has a bit of grip.

I like the graphic on this one enough I might just make it as a table pad for our entry way table. You can always make the mat part a different dimension, just make sure you’re centering the image if you do.

You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Sophie’s Stitches]

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