Budburst

Burst into summer with a light, asymmetric shawl overgrown with lacy foliage. The glow of bright new leaves against the sky always lifts my mood—to me they represent energy, growth, and hope!

Budburst is knit sideways from the pointy end to the picot bind-off, with shaping increases at the start of each right-side row. As you knit, the increases and decreases of the lace form a texture of bobbles on the reverse side. During blocking, these buds unfurl into leaves.

Skills & Techniques

  • Simple lace knitting

  • Picot bind off, optional (tutorial: How to work a picot bind off)

  • Charts and written instructions are both provided in full

Materials Needed

  • 2 skeins of Merino Single from Sidispinnt (100% merino superwash; 394yds/360m per 100g) in ‘Dawn’, or 748 yards / 684 metres of fingering-weight yarn

  • US 6 / 4mm straight or circular needles (or needle size that gives you the right gauge)

  • A needle for weaving in the ends

  • Blocking pins and wires (optional but recommended)

Finished Measurements

  • 65”/165cm wingspan, 32”/81cm depth, relaxed after blocking.

  • The shawl can be easily scaled up or down by working a different number of repeats (tutorial: How to embiggen your shawl).