by Elizabeth Freeman

Ancient trees and wrought iron trellis work. Climbing rose buds twining sedately skyward burst into sudden audacious flower.

Rhodion begins with a provisional cast on, and then grows in both directions. The trellis work is formed by a cable lace stitch with patterning every row. The wrong side patterning in the cable lace is unchanging, making this a good introduction to every row lacework.

Cable crossings in lace weight are a challenge, particularly since lacework is incorporated into the cable crossing itself. Instructions are given for working this stitch both with and without a cable needle.

When turning to work the second side, set up rows incorporate yarn overs and decreases so that the trellis work flows seamlessly the length of the stole.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 84 inches
Width: 26 inches
Note: Measurements given for shawl after blocking.

MATERIALS
Yarn
Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lace [100% Baby Alpaca; 437yd/400m per 50g skein]; color: #1426 Chianti Heather; 3 skeins
Note: Edging chart pattern has stitch distortion which requires heavy blocking to lie flat. If substituting yarn, choose a yarn that will block well (like alpaca or wool).


Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
2 US #3/3.25mm circular needles, 32 inches or longer
Note: The cast on technique used for this shawl will work more easily if the two needles used are different in color or type.

Notions
Yarn needle
Cable needle
Blocking wires or smooth, strong string
Rust-proof pins

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Estonian Stitches:
This shawl was inspired by stitches from Pitsilised Koekirjad, an Estonian stitch dictionary.
For an excellent description of Estonian lace stitches, see this site.
For more examples of the beautiful stitches originating in Estonia, take a look at the Estonian Lace Study as well as this site.

For a history of Estonian lace knitting, as well as many beautiful Estonian shawls, both traditional and contemporary, see Knitted Lace of Estonia: Techniques, Patterns, and Traditions by Nancy Bush, and Haapsalu Sall by Siiri Reiman and Aime Edasi.

K3tog: Knit next 3 sts together.

Sssk: Slip next 3 sts knitwise, one at a time, to right needle. Insert tip of left needle into fronts of these 3 sts from left to right, and knit them together.

sk2p: Slip 1 knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped st over. 2 sts decreased.

S2KP2: Slip next 2 sts together, knitwise, as if to work a k2tog. Knit next st through back loop, then pass both slipped sts over st just knit. This forms a centered double decrease.

Nupp: On RS row, k next st without dropping st from left needle, yo, [k same st again without dropping from left needle, yo] twice, k same st again and drop st from left needle. 1 st increased to 7 sts. On following WS row, purl these 7 sts together. 7 sts decreased to 1 st.

Star Stitches:
3-into-3 star: K3tog without dropping sts from left needle; yo, k same 3 sts together again and drop from left needle. Number of sts has not changed.

3-into-5 star: K3tog without dropping sts from left needle, yo, k same 3 sts together again without dropping from left needle, yo, k same 3 sts together again and drop from left needle. 3 sts increased to 5 sts.

3-into-7 star: K3tog without dropping sts from left needle, yo, [k same 3 sts together again without dropping from left needle, yo] twice, k same 3 sts together again and drop from left needle. 3 sts increased to 7 sts.

3-into-9 star: K3tog without dropping sts from left needle, yo, [k same 3 sts together again without dropping from left needle, yo] three times, k same 3 sts together again and drop from left needle. 3 sts increased to 9 sts.

Lace Cable Stitches:
Lace cable with single decrease (5 sts decreased to 4 sts):
Worked with a cable needle:
Sl next 3 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; k2tog from left needle, yo, [k2tog, k1] from cable needle.
Worked without a cable needle:
Bring yarn between needles to front of work. (Because this is worked after a yarnover, the yarn will be making a full 360 degree wrap of right needle.)

Sl 3 sts purlwise to right needle, then bring yarn between needles to back of work. Yarn will form a bar across fronts of slipped sts.

Work k2tog over next 2 sts on left needle. Bring yarn between needles to front of work.

Reach tip of left needle around back of work and insert into 3 slipped sts, skipping the k2tog just worked.

Use left thumb and index finger to pinch bases of last 4 sts on right needle, stabilizing them. Pull tip of right needle out of these 4 stitches. The 3 slipped sts will now be on left needle; the k2tog will be floating free in front of the left needle.

Quickly slip tip of right needle back into the k2tog.

Bring yarn over right needle to back of work (forming a yo), [k2tog, k1] from left needle.

Lace cable crossing is complete.

Lace cable with double decrease (6 sts decreased to 4 sts):
Worked with a cable needle:
Sl next 3 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; S2KP2 from left needle, yo, [k2tog, k1] from cable needle.
Worked without a cable needle:
Bring yarn between needles to front of work. (Because this is worked after a yarnover, the yarn will be making a full 360 degree wrap of right needle.) Sl 3 sts purlwise to right needle, then bring yarn between needles to back of work. Yarn will form a bar across fronts of slipped sts.
Work S2KP2 over next 3 sts on left needle. Bring yarn between needles to front of work.
Reach tip of left needle around back of work and insert into 3 slipped sts, skipping the S2KP2 just worked. Use left thumb and index finger to pinch bases of last 4 sts on right needle, stabilizing them. Pull tip of right needle out of these 4 stitches. The 3 slipped sts will now be on left needle; the S2KP2 will be floating free in front of the left needle. Quickly slip tip of right needle back into the S2KP2.
Bring yarn over right needle to back of work (forming a yo), [k2tog, k1] from left needle. Lace cable crossing is complete.

Lace cable without decrease (worked over 4 sts):
Note: This cable twist only appears in the Side 2 Set-up Chart.
Worked with a cable needle:
Sl next 2 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work; k2tog from left needle, yo, k2 from cable needle.
Worked without a cable needle:
Bring yarn between needles to front of work. (Because this is worked after a yarnover, the yarn will be making a full 360 degree wrap of right needle.) Sl 2 sts purlwise to right needle, then bring yarn between needles to back of work. Yarn will form a bar across fronts of slipped sts.
K next 2 sts on left needle. Bring yarn between needles to front of work.
Reach tip of left needle around back of work and insert into 2 slipped sts, skipping the k2tog just worked. Use left thumb and index finger to pinch bases of last 3 sts on right needle, stabilizing them. Pull tip of right needle out of these 3 stitches. The 2 slipped sts will now be on left needle; the k2tog will be floating free in front of the left needle. Quickly slip tip of right needle back into the k2tog.
Bring yarn over right needle to back of work (forming a yo), k2 from left needle. Lace cable crossing is complete.

Turkish Cast On:
Because the Cable Lace pattern is lace patterned every row, a seamless transition between the two sides requires a single row provisional cast on. A two row provisional cast on such as Judy’s Magic Cast On will leave a visible seam in the lace pattern.
The Turkish cast on is recommended for this project. The Turkish cast on holds the provisional stitches on a spare circular needle so they will not have to be picked up later. The provisional stitches will be correctly mounted, and will not need to be untwisted. Also, the Turkish cast on does not require careful counting. As long as more wraps are made than are required by the first row, the extra wraps can be dropped later. The main disadvantage of the Turkish cast on is that the first row is fiddly, and must be worked without mistakes.

The Figure Eight cast on will also work, but the stitches will need to be remounted while working the first setup row of the second side. Other possibilities for a single row provisional cast on include the Crochet Cast On and the Looping Provisional Cast On (see The Knitter's Handbook by Montse Stanley).

Hold two circular needles parallel, with the working needle on the top, and the spare needle on the bottom. Make a slip knot approximately 8 inches from end of yarn, and place on working needle. With points of needles facing you, wrap yarn counter clockwise around both needles, wrapping several times more than the number of sts needed. Try to keep all wraps on the needles, rather than pushing them onto the cables (especially when working with a very lightweight yarn).

Turn working needle so that it is in position for the first row to be worked. Wrap yarn once around working needle only – there will now be one more st on working needle than on spare needle.

Pull tip of spare needle through sts so that both tips are hanging down, with all sts resting on cable. Wraps will now be loose on working needle; hold carefully in place so they do not slide off.

When working Row 1, slip first st purlwise with yarn held to back of work. (On all following rows, slip first st with yarn held to front of work). Work first row gently, to avoid distorting wraps.

Modifying the size:
This pattern is modular. The length can be varied by changing the number of repeats of the Body Chart. The width can be varied by working more or fewer repeats of the outlined pattern repeat in each chart. Add or subtract 37 from the number of cast on sts for each pattern repeat you want to add or remove.

Information about blocking lace can be found here.

DIRECTIONS

Continue following Body Chart until you have worked Rows 1-16 a total of 13 times. 133 sts on needle when Row 16 is complete.

Work Rows 1-22 of Transition Chart. 133 sts.

Work Rows 1-24 of Edging Chart. 143 sts.

BO Row [RS]: Using two strands of yarn held together, p2, *sl both sts back to left needle and p2tog, p1; repeat from * to last st, sl both sts back to left needle and p2tog. Break yarn and draw through last st.

SECOND SIDE
Note: It is a good idea to place a lifeline in the CO row before beginning the second side! Thread a piece of smooth, lightweight waste yarn or unwaxed dental floss through all sts on spare needle; be sure not to catch lifeline when working first row.

Join yarn to sts on spare needle with WS facing.
Work Rows 1-3 of Second Side Set-up Chart. When working first row, note that groups of stitches lying directly below the double decreases and 3-into-7 stars from Row 1 of first side will be pressed tightly together, and are easy to mistake for single stitches.

Work through charts and bind off as for first side.

FINISHING
Weave in ends.
Block shawl using technique described in linked article (see pattern notes). Run smooth string or blocking wires along length of selvedges. Pin out points at tip of each petal in blossoms at ends of shawl. The shawl will block to a rectangle with slightly flared ends.

Elizabeth Freeman counts trees and crunches numbers for a living, and has been known to bring her lace knitting along on wilderness backpacking trip.