The first time I saw a Malabrigo yarn, I fell in love. It was the worsted weight merino in so many striated, luscious colors, and I bought a reddish orange for a heavily cabled sweater to wear in the winter while I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan.

When I returned home, I discovered that it came in lace weight as well!  This gave me a perfect excuse to create a lace shawl that showed it off.

My swatch was so gorgeous just in stockinette stitch that I decided to come up with my own lace pattern that would include enough stockinette to display the yarn while still having an engaging lace pattern.  I drew this out as circles and lines on graph paper and was surprised to see the big and little hexagons that emerged.

Knitting with this yarn is a constant delight, and the resulting fabric is so light, lovely, and soft that this shawl quickly became my favorite.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Width: 21 inches
Length: 40 inches
Note: Measurements taken after blocking.

MATERIALS
Yarn
Malabrigo Lace [100% Baby Merino Wool; 470yd/430m per 50g skein]; color: Rhodesian; 3 skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 US #2/2.75mm circular needle, 24 inches or longer

Tools
Stitch markers
Yarn needle
Cable needle

GAUGE
30 sts/46 rows = 4 inches in stockinette st

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

C4B: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; k2 from left needle, k2 from cable needle.M

sk2p: Sl 1, k2tog, pass slipped st over. 2 sts decreased.

The seafoam lace pattern at the ends of the shawl has a slightly larger stitch gauge than the hexagon lace pattern, which gives the ends a slightly flared look.   The seafoam pattern is taken from Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

In Rows 3 and 7 of the Seafoam Pattern, multiple yarnovers are worked. They do not count as increased sts, as they are dropped when working Rows 4 and 8. They form the elongated stitches that cause the rippling effect of the stitch pattern.

Seafoam Lace Pattern
(Worked over a multiple of 10 sts + 6):

Rows 1-2: K all sts.

Row 3 [RS]: K6, [(yo) twice, k1, (yo) 3 times, k1, (yo) 4 times, k1, (yo) 3 times, k1, (yo) twice, k6] to end.

Row 4 [WS]: K all sts, dropping all (yo)s from needle.

Rows 5-6: K all sts.

Row 7 [RS]: K1, [(yo) twice, k1, (yo) 3 times, k1, (yo) 4 times, k1, (yo) 3 times, k1, (yo) twice, k6] to end, working (k1) at end of last repeat instead of (k6).

Row 8 [WS]: K all sts, dropping all (yo)s from needle.

Repeat Rows 1-8 for Seafoam Pattern.

Chart: Click here to see the chart; it will print on a single letter-sized page by itself.

DIRECTIONS
Lower Edge:
CO 166 sts. Work Rows 1-8 of Seafoam Pattern twice, then work Rows 1-6 once more.

Next Row [RS]: K83, m1, k83. 167 sts.
K 1 row.

Shawl Body:
Work Rows 1-24 of chart pattern thirteen times, then work Rows 1-14 once more.
Outlined pattern repeat is worked six times in each row.

Upper Edge:
Next Row [RS]: K83, k2tog, k82. 166 sts.
K 1 row.

Work Rows 1-8 of Seafoam Pattern twice, then work Rows 1-6 once more.

Loosely BO all sts.

FINISHING
Weave in ends and block shawl.

Andrea Rangel loves the functional and artistic nature of fiber arts. For her, knitting creates a connection with the past and an outlet for self-expression. Having lived in many climates, she enjoys matching the perfect natural fibers to each project and season. She is constantly influenced by the natural world and interprets her outdoor experiences through design.

See more of her designs on her website at or visit her on Ravelry where her user name is andreakr.