Lodestar Stole

Sometimes all you want is a simple and satisfying knit.  Lodestar is a generously sized lace stole that makes a perfectly cozy cover-up for a cool summer night or crisp autumn day.

I designed Lodestar in Rainbow Heirloom Lush DK, a sumptuous DK weight alpaca blend. I wanted something luxuriously large and warm, without taking too much time to knit.  While the pattern is written for DK weight yarn, it is easy to adapt for knitting with lighter or heavier yarns, and it includes instructions for making a wider shawl or a thinner scarf.

Lodestar Project Details:

Pattern:  Lodestar Pattern $7 – available for download now
Sizing:  Approximately 14” wide by 80” long, depending upon blocking
Yarn:  490 yds DK weight yarn – shown in Rainbow Heirloom Lush DK in ‘fireside’, a limited edition colourway for August 2015
Needles:  US #7 / 4.5mm (or as required to meet gauge)
Gauge:  19 sts & 23 rows / 4” in lace pattern after blocking. The 6-stitch / 20-row lace pattern measures 1.25” wide by 3.5” tall.
Notions:  stitch marker, cable needle, darning needle

Some lace patterns don’t look like much on the wrong side, but the geometrical lace used in Lodestar is almost reversible, perfect for an accessory worn bundled up around your neck!

 Lodestar: easy adjustments

Lodestar begins with an increase section, has a straight section, then a decrease section to finish.  The pattern has instructions for how to make the most of your precious yarn by marking the midpoint in your yardage, and counting your repeats.  It is a very simple matter to adjust this design for a different yarn weight, or even to create a triangular shawl!

To knit in lighter-weight yarn, you would want to knit more repeats of the increase chart for a shawl of a similar width.  For heavier-weight yarns, you could knit less or simply follow the pattern as written for a wider wrap.

If you wanted to go ‘off piste’ even further, you can create a big asymmetrical triangular shawl by continuing the increase section until you have just a little bit of yarn left, working a few rows in garter stitch, then binding off.

Rainbow Heirloom Lush DK in ‘fireside’

Rainbow Heirloom Lush DK is an irresistibly soft and drapey blend; 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere.  Once you have fallen in love with this yarn, you can get the same perfect blend in sock (RH Lush Light) or heavy lace (RH Lush Lace).

Fireside is a limited edition colour, available for August 2015 only as part of the Rainbow Heirloom’s Nostalgia Club.  The Nostalgia club is a series of one-of-a-kind colourways inspired by my stories and photos of home, journeys, and special moments.  You can learn more, and order this yarn or a club membership here.  And you can sign up to win 2 skeins of this yarn here!  More colours on this luxurious base will be available in the Rainbow Heirloom Update on Friday, August 7th at 8pm BST… get RainbowMail to preview the colourways, and mark your calendar so you don’t miss out!

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Learn about lace

If you are new to lace knitting, we have a series of excellent resources to help you get started.  The Gothic Lace Cowl (or scarf) is our free pattern for learning the basics of lace, and we have posts on how to read a lace chart, how to work lace increases and decreases, and how to block lace.  If you have questions, be sure to ask in the comments, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Ravelry!

Other Luscious Lace Patterns: