Rainbow Afternoon Shawl

Construction Notes: Collar and peplum shaping are worked after knitting by adding, on the inside, a few rows of slip stitch crochet - with more gathers at the collar for a nice ruffly front and not as many across the back for a comfortable fit. Adjust as desired.

Gauge: 18 sts and 17 rows = 4" / 10 cm in pattern stitch using smaller needles.  Because the fabric is so loosely knit, stitch and row gauge can vary widely depending on how the fabric is laid out, but their product should be fairly constant.  Aim for a gauge of 300-310 sts per 16 square inches / 100 square cm.

Finished Size: Approximately 75" / 190 cm long by 21" / 53.5 cm wide.

Materials:

• Size 9 needle for cast on and bind o_, size 6 / 4 mm circular needles on a long cable; size F-5 / 3.75 mm and size B-2 / 2.25 mm crochet hooks; tapestry needle.
• Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
• Sunday Knits 3 ply, 1 20 gm / 90 m skein each:
  • Nirvana (92% merino 8% cashmere): berry, cedar, earth, espresso, twig
  • Angelic (75% merino, 25% angora): aqua, black, chestnut, nut
  • Eden (100% merino): aster, chocolate, curry, prune, raisin, violet

Note on yarn substitutions:  The yarn used here normally knits at a gauge of 25-28 sts per 4 inches in stockinette stitch using needles size 3-5 US / 3.25-3.75 mm. If substituting, use a yarn of similar gauge in a wool or wool blend. The finished fabric should be very light and somewhat sheer. See Glossary for suggestions regarding color selection.

Shawl
With larger needle CO 280 sts. Switch to smaller needles.
Row 1 (WS): K1, [yo, k1] to end.
Row 2 (RS): K1, [drop 1 (the yo), k1] to end.
Rep Rows 1 and 2 for remainder of shawl, switching colors every row or two according to Color List below, by either splicing the yarns together (see Glossary) or working knit-in fringe (see Glossary).

Color list
black - cast on
black - 2 rows (Rows 1 and 2)
*espresso - 2 rows
cedar - 2 rows
violet - 2 rows
prune - 2 rows
raisin - 2 rows
chestnut - 2 rows
nut - 1 row
curry - 1 row
chocolate - 1 row
aster - 2 rows
berry - 1 row
earth - 2 row
twig - 2 row
aqua - 2 rows
twig - 2 rows
earth - 1 row
berry - 1 row
aster - 2 rows
chocolate - 1 row
curry - 1 row
nut - 2 rows
chestnut - 2 rows
raisin - 2 rows
prune - 2 rows
violet - 2 rows
cedar - 2 rows
espresso - 2 rows
black - 2 rows
Rep from * once more.
With black work 1 more row.
Using larger needle BO while dropping the yarnovers.

Finishing
Wash or rinse and lay out to dry.

Gather for peplum:
With larger crochet hook and aqua or twig and beginning 25 rows from cast on and 20 sts in from end, *slip stitch 1 crochet stitch per 1 knitted stitch for 240 sts. 
Move 2 rows over and repeat from *.

Gather for collar
With larger crochet hook and aqua or twig and beginning 25 rows from bind o_ and 20 sts in from end, *sl st 1 crochet stitch per 1 knitted stitch for 60 sts, switch to smaller hook and sl st for 120 sts, switch to larger hook and sl st for 60 sts.
Move 2 rows over and repeat from *.
Dampen or block over gathers and weave in loose ends.

Glossary
Splicing yarn:  Attempts to weave loose ends inconspicuously into such a loosely knit fabric may be futile. But by splicing the end of one color yarn to the end of the next color, the yarn will appear continuous and the striping effortless.

The Russian splice is especially nice for this application: If using a 3 ply yarn, separate the plies at the end of one color strand, break of one ply 2" / 5 cm from end, break of a second ply 1" / 2.5 cm from end. Repeat with the other color strand. Fold the 2 yarn ends - each a little over 1" / 2.5 cm from its end - over each other like interlocking fingers. Lay the folded yarn in palm of hand, moisten fingertips and roll the splice vigorously until heat, friction and moisture cause the fibers to felt together.

Optional knit-in fringe
At the end of every row, cut or break yarn to a length of 5" / 10 cm. Measure the yarn to be used for the next row also to a length of 5" / 10 cm. Knit the first stitch of the new row with both strands together, then work remainder of row with new strand. Pull fringe snug but not tight. When shawl is finished, trim fringe using a rotary cutter and board, or a scissors. Tie a small knot near the end of each strand pair for added weight.

Suggestions on substituting colors:  Select thirteen or more colors that look great together. The more colors, the richer the finished fabric. Pick colors in dark, medium and light shades. Pick lots of soft or neutral tones, and a few saturated ones.  When laying out the colors for this shawl, consider dividing them into two or three groups, going from dark to light, both within each group, and overall. Be sure to swatch before casting on for the shawl, as colors may interact in surprising ways.

Slip stitch (crochet):  Insert crochet hook into stitch, wrap yarn over hook and draw the yarn through the stitch, leaving one loop on hook - first slip stitch. *Insert hook into stitch, wrap yarn over hook and draw the yarn through both the stitch and the loop.  Repeat from * across row.

Abbreviations
BO - bind off
cm - centimeter
CO - cast on
k - knit
mm - millimeter
rep - repeat
RS - right side of work
sl st - slip stitch (crochet)
st(s) - stitch(es)
WS - wrong side of work
yo - yarn over

For more free knitting patterns from Carol Sunday, visit her company profile page: Sunday Knits!