oaken shawl and blanket
Lately I’ve been inspired by heavy weight lace. It may seem like those two things shouldn’t go together, light delicate lace with an ample woolly yarn, but I promise you, they do! This new design combines the delicious texture of garter stitch with rhythmic, geometric lace, for a project that’s a joy to knit, and cozy to wear.
Oaken brings together heavy lace and simple stitches to keep you warm as the leaves fall and the days shorten. Knit yourself a toasty shawl to put on with your winter coat, or as a blanket to keep your lap warm as you relax with a good book.
oaken details:
Sizing: Shawl: 68” wide by 28” long
Blanket: 35.5” wide by 43” long
Yarn: Worsted / aran weight yarn
Shawl: 620 yards in a single colour as shown Or 350 yards in each of MC and CC to work in two colours (Sample shown in Sweet Fiber Canadian in ‘golden’)
Blanket: 500 yards MC and 390 yds CC as shown Or 850 yards if worked in a single colour (Sample shown in Hinterland Range in snow’ and ‘maple’)
Suggested Needles: US #9 / 5.5mm (or as required to achieve gauge)
different drapes
For the heavier weight Posy shawl (the pale yellow shawl pictured above) I knit a single ply sock weight yarn together with a strange of lace weight mohair, both from La Bien Aimee. That combination (the same one I used for the Love Note sweater) created a fabric with a soft, flowing drape. The lace shone and I loved the mohair halo.
Oaken, however, is designed in a more rustic yarn worked at a firmer gauge. The Oaken shawl is made in Sweet Fiber Canadian, a decidedly woolly yarn (and can we talk about that colour?!). Canadian is light but warm, giving the lace a crisp quality and the shawl, overall, has more structure than the soft drape of Posy.
For the blanket I used Hinterland Range. We used this lovely yarn to make the Antler pullover, and fell in love. Range is a 50/50 Canadian Alpaca/Wool blend, really soft and warm with a slight alpaca halo. The Oaken blanket is worked from the centre (with Judy’s Magic Cast-On) outward to the edge, and can be made in a single colour or using two as I have done. I picture it folded neatly on my couch waiting for company that is feeling a bit of a chill!
March 12, 2021 @ 11:09 am
I love this shawl and I’m having so much fun making it. That said I think the pattern is written wrong for the lace section. This resulted in the leading edge being much thicker than the other end and the stockinette spine is shifted out of place during the lace.
I’m leaving it as is for this project because I don’t have it in me to pull out so much lace but the pattern should be updated.
k1, work chart A to marker, SM, work chart A to last 2 st, k2
(Pattern has the k1 and k2 swapped)
March 15, 2021 @ 3:54 am
Hi Kelsey – I’m pretty sure the pattern is correct, and you may be misunderstanding it? Are you following from the chart p3, or from the chart text instructions on p3?
You can notice that Chart A begins with a yarn-over on each RS row, and then ends with a knit stitch (the chart itself has an ‘extra’ stitch at the end). That knit stitch is the centreline stitch of the shawl. As noted in after the set-up row, the marker is located after the centreline stitch of the shawl.
So when you’re working the lace, you:
work k2 (this creates 2 edge sts),
work chart A until the marker – the last stitch of this chart is the k1 that is the ‘spine’ stitch
slip the marker
work chart A until the last stitch of the row – the last stitch of this chart is a k1, which is one of the 2 edge sts at this side
k1 – this last stitch of the row is the second of the two edge sts on this end.
Then on WS rows you k1, purl to last st, k1 – this creates a single garter column at either edge.
Hope this clarifies things! If not, send us an email at tincanknits@gmail.com and we’ll try to explain it another way :)
Emily
March 16, 2021 @ 8:44 am
Hi Emily,
I see what I did now, I defaulted to reading the chart from L to R which produces pretty much the correct lace pattern but shifted over incorrectly by one stich!
March 21, 2020 @ 11:07 am
When casting on the blanket, do I include the step of knitting the cast-on stitches before working the set-up round (I.e. steps 9-10 in Judy’s instructions) or go straight to the set-up round once the first set of loops are on the needles?
March 22, 2020 @ 10:49 am
Hi Alice – Go straight to the set up round
September 17, 2019 @ 1:52 pm
Out of idle curiosity, may I ask why there is extra yardage called in the MC/CC versions? The shawl requires 80 yards more than the single color version, the blanket takes 40 yards more. Is this to provide insurance against the possible need to play Yarn Chicken?
(Congratulations on launching another beautiful pattern out into the world, by the way. The lace section reminds me of an old “light” favorite, Sivia Harding’s Diamond Fantasy. Looking forward to some “heavy” lace this time around!)
September 18, 2019 @ 11:04 am
Hi Ann – yep, you’ve got it. There is just a bit more variability with 2 colours.
September 17, 2019 @ 5:10 am
I’ve tried starting a center out blanket and got stuck with the cast on, but Oaken makes me want to try again. It’s so pretty!
September 13, 2019 @ 8:04 pm
Hello, I would like very much to make the blanket, but I would like to make it bigger. Is it possible to do so by repeating the lace pattern for another repeat? Thanks
September 16, 2019 @ 11:24 am
Hi Terry – yes indeed! It’s just a garter stitch border after that so another repeat is perfect.
September 13, 2019 @ 10:38 am
It’s beautiful! Sara
September 13, 2019 @ 9:29 am
Love this! I’d love to make one to go with a new pair of mitts and a hat for this winter. Do you have any recommendations for patterns that you think will go with this?
September 13, 2019 @ 12:58 pm
Go with something textured and garter heavy!
September 13, 2019 @ 7:57 am
Is there any seaming for the blanket? Also, what is the required skill level?!
September 13, 2019 @ 12:59 pm
No seaming for the blanket! Skill levels aren’t that useful in my opinion, but I’d say adventurous beginner. There are a few techniques (the cast on, working lace) but nothing terribly fussy.