I’m so happy to share my latest pattern with you! The Western Foothills Wrap is a light and breezy accessory, perfect for wearing (or knitting) as the temperature rises. It uses one of my all-time favorite yarns from Manos del Uruguay called Fino, a lovely blend of merino wool and silk. I cannot praise this yarn enough! I love the way the yarn feels in my hand as I work and the finished fabric is just divine! If you haven’t worked with the yarn before, I highly recommend it.
If you’d like to make your own Western Foothills Wrap, I’ve put together some helpful hints below.
Kits for this project will be available soon!
Materials:
2 skeins Manos del Uruguay Fino (70% merino wool, 30% silk; 490 yards) in color Crystal Goblet. Or 980 yards of fingering weight yarn with lots of drape.
Gauge:
Working gauge: 23 stitches = 4” in stockinette stitch.
Blocked gauge: 17 stitches = 4” in stockinette stitch.
Needles:
US #4 (3.5mm) 40-48” circular needle or size needed to obtain gauge. I’m an incredibly loose knitter, so I would recommend most knitters try a gauge swatch using a US #5 or #6 first.
Other supplies: stitch markers, tapestry needle.
Pattern Notes:
Gauge & Blocking
You may notice there are two gauges listed for this pattern. One is a working gauge and one is the gauge after blocking. It’s very important to block lace knitting, so you can see the pattern you worked so diligently to create. The yarn I used has quite a bit of silk in it, which tends to grow more than other fibers after blocking. You want to be prepared for any growth after blocking by making an accurate gauge swatch beforehand. Don’t worry if you can’t match my working gauge, but do try to match the blocked gauge! I would suggest that most knitters make a gauge swatch on a size US # 5 to start, block it, measure it and go from there. You might have to knit and block a few swatches to find the right needle, but it’s worth it!
Casting on
This pattern is knit lengthwise, which means you will be casting on a large number of stitches. I like to put a stitch marker every 20 stitches to make counting easier. If you are worried about running out of yarn for your cast on, try using a second ball of yarn for your long tail, so you wont run out. Once all your stitches have been cast on, simply cut away the extra ball of yarn, leaving a 4” strand to weave in later.
Lace Practice
I recommend giving this lace pattern a practice before committing to the full amount of stitches. Cast on 47 stitches and work rows 1-50 of the lace pattern in practice yarn. This way, you can sort out your yarn overs and k2togs without having to rip out super long rows or cast on multiple times. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Sizing & Adjustments
I’m a pretty tall person, so this length shall might not work for you. Add or subtract stitches from the original cast on number in multiples of 20 to adjust the length.
For a medium length shawl that is about 72” long, cast on 307 stitches (40 stitches less than the original pattern.)
For a short shawl that is about 62” long, cast on 267 stitches (80 stitches less than the original pattern.)
This pattern also looks great as a scarf using only one skein of yarn instead of two!
FREE pattern download when you buy two skeins of yarn!
Join us for a modified Local Yarn Shop Day this weekend with the help of Casapinka. Purchase one of our color kits below, and we’ll email you a coupon code so you can download the “Breathe and Hope” shawl pattern for FREE! Coupon code will work Friday, April 24 at 8am - Sunday, April 26 at midnight and you can only get one by purchasing yarn from a Local Yarn Shop.
Pattern requires two skeins of fingering weight yarn, one solid and one variegated. We’ve put together some springy color combinations for you to choose from.
Kathleen designed this scarf for us years ago with a mohair yarn that is now discontinued. Despite the discontinued yarn, this scarf has remained a popular shop sample, so we’re thankful to finally have some new mohair yarns to fill the void!
This is an easy project, just knitting with an occasional row of yarn overs, but the results are stunning! It’ll make a lovely, light and airy scarf to stave off that stubborn spring chill! Imagine it knit up in one of the muliti colored skeins below! If the fluff of mohair bothers you… try it in Fino or Alma instead!
We’ll admit, we haven’t knit this shawl yet, but it’s next in the cue for sure! The Syringa shawl pattern highlights a brand new yarn from Manos del Uruguay, called Alma. Alma is a fingering weight, single ply super wash wool, that comes in an assortment of solids/mulitcolors designed to pair nicely together. Alma is silky soft and airy to knit and you’ll love the yardage…546 yards per skein! Pick two colors and get started today!
We love the shape and color-play of this shawl pattern, don’t you? If you haven’t knit a Drachenfels shawl yet, it might be time! Wear it over your shoulders, close with a shawl pin or even layer it around your neck like a scarf. When you use a drapey fiber like alpaca, you’ll get plenty of movement and drama in your piece.
This pattern calls for three colors of fingering weight yarn, around 330 yards each. For our shop sample, we used Herriot Fine by Juniper Moon Farm, a blend of baby alpaca and nylon. You’ll want to pick 3 colors that harmonize together, yet also contrast. Check out a few of our color ideas below, or peruse the Herriot Fine and pick your own combo! This pattern would also look amazingly fresh and fun in Fino by Manos del Uruguay!
With one skein of Fino and a set of size 8 needles, you can make this lovely, springy scarf! We've all got a lot on our minds right now, so this simple garter stitch pattern might be just the ticket for some relaxing knitting time. A printed pattern is FREE with yarn purchase!
Make this colorful cowl with your choice of Fino mini skein set from Manos del Uruguay. The color shown here is Henrietta, but it would look just as lovely in another color combo, don’t you think? This would be a great project for a beginner, or for one of those Netflix and chill nights.
I’ve been a confident knitter for a long time, like over ten years long. I’m not afraid of challenges, in fact, I embrace them as a way to grow and learn. But here I am, working on a shawl with a simple 9 stitch lace pattern repeat and I just keep messing up. It’s not that I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s actually the opposite. I’m so used to just knitting along without thinking that my hands kind of take over. They’ve got a plan of their own, apparently... adding stitches and yarnovers where they aren’t supposed to be.
After taking out the same row several times, I finally remembered I could use stitch markers to help me. Duh. It’ll be easier to spot a mistake between markers, rather than getting to the end of the round, realizing I’m four stitches short, and having to unknit an entire row, or worse, 5 rows like this morning.
Four hours of “fixing” and I’m finally moving forward again!
Pattern is a PI shawl called Leaves of Grass by Brooklyn Tweed (which I’ve wanted to knit since the day Fiber & Vine opened!)
