What's Your Favorite Color?
A Knitting pattern by Pam Sluter
I like to challenge myself to try new (new to me at least) shapes, techniques, and materials when I'm designing. This shawl is my take on working with an asymmetric triangle and gradient yarns. Good old garter stitch, some intarsia and the coolness of working on the bias create a shawl that looks harder to work than it is. Materials: One skein of Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply (400 yds/4 0z, 365m/115 g, 100% superwash Merino wool) in Oyster (MC) One set of Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply (each skein is 133 yds/1.3 0z, 122m/38 g, 100% superwashMerino wool) five skein gradients in Perseus Two stitch markers
Abbreviations:
K - Knit Ssk - Slip one stitch, slip one stitch, knit the two slipped stitches together. One stitch decreased. Kfb - Knit into the front then into the back of the same stitch. One stitch increased. St(s)- Stitch(es) Rep - Repeat Pm - Place marker Sm - Slide marker RS - Right side of work WS - Wrong side of work CO - Cast on BO - Bind off
Pattern Notes:
This shawl is knit using the intarsia method. Thus, in order to avoid holes at the color changes, the yarns need to be interlocked when changing colors. When starting a new color yarn, drop the old color yarn to the Ws of the work and bring the new color from beneath the old color, trapping the old color. 1 used the marker so I had a physical reminder to switch yarns (less counting!). The color Oyster is the Main Color (MC) and the gradient colors are referred to as Colors A, B, C, D and E, going from lightest colorway to darkest colorway, respectively. When I knit and designed this shawl Miss Babs was selling her gradients in sets of 5. While I was writing this she switched to 6! So, I added a section 10 to this pattern for those knitters buying the new 6 color gradient sets. This shawl is plenty big with the five color version so don't despair!
Shawl Directions:
Section1 With MC, CO on 5 sts. Knit two rows. Row 1 (RS): K2, kfb, k to end. Row 2 (WS): Ssk, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 1 and 2 a total of 15 times.
Section 2
Row 1 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k7, pm, join Color A, knit to end of row with A. Row 2 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 3 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end of row. Row 4 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 3 and 4 until 1 stitch of Color A remains. Break Color A, leaving a tail long enough for weaving in. With MC work the following: Row 1 (RS): K2, kfb, knit to end removing marker. Row 2 (WS): Ssk, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2.
Section 3
Row 1 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k7, pm, join Color A, knit to end of row with A. Row 2 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 3 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end of row. Row 4 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. With MC work the following: Row 1 (RS): K2, kfb, knit to end removing marke: Row 2 (WS): Ssk, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2.
Section 4
Row 1 (RS): With MC k2, kfb, k7, pm, join Color A, knit to end of row with A. Row 2 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 3 (RS): With MC k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end of row. Row 4 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 5 (RS): With MC k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end of row. Row 6 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 7 (RS): With MC k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end of row. Row 8 (WS): With Color A, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 1 through 8 eleven times more, then work Rows 3 and 4 three times more. There should be 1 st of Color A remaining. Break Color A, leaving a tail long enough for weaving in. With MC work the following: Row 1 (RS): K2, kfb, knit to end removing marker. Row 2 (WS): Ssk, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2.
Section 5
Row 1 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k7, pm, join Color B, knit to end of row with B. Row 2 (WS): With B, ssk, k to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 3 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color B, knit to end of row. Row 4 (WS): With B, ssk, knit to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 5 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color B, knit to end of row. Row 6 (WS): With B, knit to marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 3 through 6 until there are 60 sts in MC.
Section 6
Row 1 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color B, k25, pm, join Color C, knit to end of row with C. Row 2 (WS): With Color C, ssk, k to marker, sm, with Color B knit to next marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 3 (RS): With MC, k2, kfb, k to marker, sm, with Color B, k to next marker, sm, with Color C, knit to end of row. Row 4 (WS): With Color C, ssk, knit to marker, sm, with Color B knit to next marker, sm, with MC, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 3 and 4 as established until there are 25 sts in Color C and 25 sts in Color B, removing markers on last row. Break all colors, leaving a tail long enough for weaving in
Section 7
Row 1 (RS): With Color D, k2, kfb, knit to 50 sts from end of row, pm, join Color A, knit to end of row with A. Row 2 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, sm, with Color D, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Row 3 (RS): With Color D, k2, kfb, knit to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end of row. Row 4 (WS): With Color A, ssk, k to marker, with Color D, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 3 and 4 until there are 28 sts in Colo Break Color D, leaving a tail long enough for weaving in.
Section 8
Row 1 (RS): With Color E, k2, kfb, knit to marker, sm, with Color A, knit to end. Row 2 (WS): With Color A, ssk, knit to marker, sm, with Color E, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 1 and 2 twice more. Break Color A, leaving a tail long enough for weaving in. Section9 Row 1(RS): With Color E, k2, kfb, knit to end of row removing marker. Row 2(WS): With Color E, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 1 and 2 eleven times more. BO. Weave in ends. Wet block or steam to finished measurements. Enjoy!! Section 10 (Optional if you have a 6 color gradient set, if not you can bind off!) Row 1(RS): With Color F, k2, kfb, knit to end. Row 2(WS): SSK, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, k2. Work Rows 1 and 2 eleven more times.
