Derecho - Spanish for ‘direct or straight ahead.’ A derecho is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. One of these storms hit here in the eastern United States while I was working on my second knit of this pattern.
A triangular shawl knit modularly in two directions to produce a pattern of interconnected stripes. Two circular needles are used to knit on one side at a time while keeping the other side’s stitches live.
Techniques: garter stitch, knit in front and back increase, picking up stitches
Finished Measurements: small: wingspan 129.5 cm, depth 56 cm; large: wingspan 167.5 cm, depth 81 cm
Gauge: 22 stitches and 44 rows to 10 cm in garter stitch
Note: Though conversions to the metric system have been made on this page for your convenience, the pattern itself uses American measurements.
Contains:
- Knitting pattern for modular colorwork shawl
- Schematic included
- Suitable for intermediate knitters
Materials you need at home:
- Fingering weight yarn in three colors. For small shawl, 180 m of light, 340 m of medium, and 120 m of dark; for large shawl, 360 m of light, 315 m of medium, and 405 m of dark
- Two 3.75 mm/US 5 circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge. You will be keeping live stitches on one needle while working with the other
- Point protectors for the needles not in use
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Laura Aylor
If ‘knitting designer’ had been one of the job choices for those aptitude tests they give you in high school, I wouldn’t have spent so many years trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. My best subject in high school was math; my best classes in college were logic, drawing, and a commercial art class. After careers in computer programming/analysis and child-rearing, knit design snuck up on me, but I think it’s the perfect use of my odd skill set! I love every step of the process, from figuring out how to actually make what I’ve envisioned to putting the finishing touches on a pattern, not to mention all the knitting that comes in between!
I also love reading and hiking and spending time on Brier Island in Nova Scotia every summer.