Diamonds and Ice

Usually when I release a new pattern, I like to share the story behind it… except that this pattern doesn’t have much of a story.

I was gifted the Ella Rae yarn a while ago (it is a really pretty ice blue in person, though the color doesn’t show well in my photos), and I had the Spa yarn leftover from another project. I originally wanted to make a standard triangular shawl with a lace edge, but I gave that up because a) I didn’t have enough yarn to make it the size I wanted it, and b) the design I had in mind would have looked better with fingering weight yarn. So I set the idea aside to come back to with different yarn someday.

But I still had this yarn in my stash. The Ella Rae yarn is available online, but the Spa yarn has been discontinued. I still really wanted to use the two yarns together, and I knew I wanted it to be a stash-only project, with no additional yarn purchased to complete it.

Enter the idea of an asymmetrical shawl, and the pieces fell into place. You can substitute any DK weight yarn for this pattern, or you could use all Ella Rae since the Spa yarn is unavailable. You could even use a different yarn weight to achieve a different effect—worsted weight would make a larger, heavier shawl which would be great if you live somewhere with cold winters.

Diamonds and Ice

Pattern notes: Worsted weight yarn (and a correspondingly larger needle size) can be substituted for a heavier, larger shawl.

Needle: US size 6 (4mm), or size needed to obtain gauge.

Yarns used: (Color 1) Ella Rae Cozy Bamboo (light (3); 80% viscose, 20% wool; 104 yards/50 grams), 3 balls of color 02; (Color 2) Naturally Caron Spa (light (3); 75% microdenier acrylic, 25% rayon from bamboo; 251 yards/85 grams), 1 skein of Berry Frappe.

Yardage: (Color 1) about 300 yards/285 meters; (Color 2) about 150 yards/138 meters.

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch.

Other Notions: yarn needle for finishing.

Final Measurements: 72 inches/183 cm along longest edge.

Stitch Abbreviations:

Sl1 = slip one

Sl1p = slip one purlwise

K = knit

P = purl

k2tog = knit two together

p2tog = purl two together

yo = yarn over

Diamond Lace Stitch Pattern (16 rows):

Row 1: sl1, yo, k3, *yo, k2tog, k6, repeat from * to end.

Row 2, and all even rows: sl1, p2tog, p to last stitch, yo, p1.

Row 3: sl1, yo, k4, *yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k4, repeat from * to end.

Row 5: sl1, yo, k1, *k6, yo, k2tog, repeat from * to last 4 sts, k4.

Row 7: sl1, yo, k to end.

Row 9: sl1, yo, k7, *yo, k2tog, k6, repeat from * to end.

Row 11: sl1, yo, k8, *yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k4, repeat from * to end.

Row 13: sl1, yo, k5, *k6, yo, k2tog, repeat from * to last 4 sts, k4.

Row 15: sl1, yo, k to end.

Pattern:

Using Color 1, cast on 4 sts.

Row 1: sl1, yo, k to end.

Row 2: sl1, p2tog, p to last stitch, yo, p1.

Repeat these two rows until you have 29 sts. (Always count your stitches after Row 2.)

Purl Ridge Row: sl1, yo, bring yarn to front, p to last st, k1.

Repeat Row 2.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 37 sts.

Knit 1 repeat of Diamond Lace Stitch Pattern.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 53 sts.

Repeat Purl Ridge Row.

Repeat Row 2.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 61 sts.

Knit 1 repeat of Diamond Lace Stitch Pattern.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 77 sts.

Repeat Purl Ridge Row.

Repeat Row 2.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 85 sts.

Knit 1 repeat of Diamond Lace Stitch Pattern.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 101 sts.

Repeat Purl Ridge Row.

Using Color 2, repeat Row 2.

Continuing in Color 2, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 109 sts.

Knit 2 repeats of Diamond Lace Stitch Pattern.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 132 sts.

Repeat Row 1.

Using Color 1, repeat Row 2.

Continuing in Color 1, knit Purl Ridge Row. Repeat Row 2. Knit Purl Ridge Row a second time. Repeat Row 2 again.

Bind off (I purled my bind off row, and left out all yos.)