Knit a Lace Shawl for Cooler Weather

October 30, 2023 by Sarah White 1 Comment

One thing about lace knitting is that, because it is so often done on fine yarn with tiny needles, it usually takes a long time to knit and also might not be the best thing to wear in terms of warmth when the weather gets colder.

This project takes care of both of those things by being a big shawl worked on heavier weight yarn than you might usually expect for lace, though it’s still light enough to keep some of the ethereal nature of lace while also being cozier to wear throughout the year.

Heavy Lace Dionne by Jeanette Sloan is a heavier weight version of her original Dionne Shawl.

Worked with a sport weight yarn, it’s still not super heavy, but you’ll feel the difference in the speed of the knitting and the warm factor when you wear it. Because this is a large shawl — it’s a triangle that’s 97.5cm (38.5 in) long and and 156.5 cm (61.5 in) wide — it gives lots of coverage and coziness.

And because lace projects are often worked on larger needles than you would expect for the weight of yarn, you’ll enjoy cruising through this project on size 7 US/4.5 mm knitting needles. Which actually makes this a pretty good option for a first large lace knitting project, because you don’t have to worry about tiny yarn and needles.

One fun twist on this one is that you can choose the edging that goes along the side of the shawl and is knit as you go. There are instructions for doing a slip stitch edging and a ribbed edging, and these are both shown in charts so you can see how the setup is different and how it integrates with the lace pattern. And it has tassels at the corners if you’re into that sort of thing.

You can grab a copy of this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Jeanette Sloan]

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Jeanette Sloan says
November 6, 2023 at 12:43 pm
Hi Sarah,
I just wanted to stop by and thank you for pointing people to my Heavy Lace Dionne shawl pattern on Ravelry. I love what you’ve written about it because as the designer it sums up exactly what I was hoping knitters would get out of knitting it. For me, lace knitting is much more than cobweb weight yarns and Dionne is definitely one of my favourites.
Sending you the warmest of wishes,
Jeanette

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Christmas Sock Knitting Patterns

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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