End Of Summer

The End of Summer shawl grows faster than you expect. You start at the center back with a few stitches and each section opens into a new stitch pattern, so the work keeps changing under your hands. That is what keeps it interesting from the first row all the way out to the edging.

The color does a lot of the work here. Four coordinating shades move from a pale at the top, down to a deep dark color along the lacy edge. The shift is gradual, so the finished triangle reads as one long fade rather than four separate stripes.

This is a lace-weight wrap, light enough for the stretch when summer starts turning toward fall. Blocking is where it earns its size. The stitches open up, and the shawl grows to 70 inches wide, with a soft drape that sits easily around your shoulders.

YARN: 

1240 yards [1136m] of lace-weight yarn.

The sample uses Ella Rae Rustic Lace (75% lambswool and 25% silk, 1.75 oz / 50g = 310 yards / 284m), 4 skeins in coordinating colors. The sample combination is A) #10 Ashwood, B) #23 Orchid, C) #24 Amethyst, and D) #25 Eggplant.

HOOK: 

Size 3.0 mm, or the size you need to reach gauge. Make sure you take the time to check it before you start.

NOTIONS: 

Stitch marker and a yarn needle.

GAUGE: 

In the pattern of the first two sections, 19 dc and 10 dc rows = 4 inches. Check your gauge before you begin. On a shawl this size, a small difference in gauge changes both the finished measurements and how much yarn you use.

FINISHED SIZE: 

Unblocked, the shawl is 64 inches wide and 24 inches deep. Blocked, it grows to 70 inches wide and 31 inches deep. Blocking is not optional here. It opens the lacy stitches and gives the shawl its full size and drape.