integral shawlette and shawl

I’m thrilled to announce that Integral, my latest shawlette and shawl design, has been released! It’s been a few months since I’ve been able to self-publish one of my designs, and it feels great to be back in the saddle.

Integral is a traditional triangular shawlette and shawl pattern that is worked in a modern way: from side to side instead of from top to bottom!

For maximum versatility, the pattern also includes two different sizes. One size is a smaller “shawlette” (50″ long x 16.5″ wide at the center) that’s perfect for a quick last-minute layer on a cold day, or even an easy something to throw on when you’re a bit chilly indoors, but don’t feel like turning on the heat full blast. (I can’t be the only one who gets cold enough to wear the knit accessories indoors, right?) The second size is a traditional shawl size, shown in green, (60″ long x 21.5″ wide at the center) that is large enough and versatile enough to be worn any number of ways, as my entirely gracious sister and gorgeous model du jour had fun demonstrating during our recent photo shoot.

Whether you need to protect yourself from the fiercely blowing wind (of which we’ve had our fair share lately, yuck!) or you just need to bundle up in style for a day of shopping in Soho, both sizes of Integral have got you covered!

As I mentioned in my previous post, both sizes are knit in Madelinetosh Chunky, a new aran-weight 100% merino yarn offering from the indie yarn dyer in Texas. With a springy, soft hand that makes for a truly lush fabric, I knew that a deeply textured project was the way to go with this yarn. The shawlette is made with two skeins of the “Luster” colorway, a bone ivory-gray, and the shawl is made with three skeins of the “Moorland” colorway, a deep foresty emerald. Both colorways have a bit of tonal variegation to lend the shawls even more dimension.

Thanks to its tight twist and smooth plies, the Madelinetosh Chunky also has fantastic, crisp stitch definition that elevates even deceptively simple knit-purl texture into something clean and modern. My goal was to create a piece that was timeless in style but still suitable for, and essential to, the wardrobe of any modern guy or gal, and thanks to the combo of the lattice-like stitch and the indulgent yarn, I’m so excited with the result.

Oh, and did I mention that both of these shawls are knit on size US 9 needles, so you could knit either one of them in a weekend? Just thought I’d throw that detail out there. 🙂

Finally, one of the things I love best about heavily textured knit fabric is what it looks like on the “wrong,” or reverse, side. Happily (and intentionally), the wrong side of Integral is as beautiful as the right side, making this accessory as easy as can be to wear when you’re on the go.

So that’s it! For ease, you’ll find that Integral is available for purchase both here at Makewise Designs and also here on Ravelry.

As always, a huge round of thanks must go out to all my helpers: to my husband, for trying to take photographs in wind that almost tore the sample off my body (oops); to my sister, for modeling like a pro with almost no advance notice; and to my awesome Ravelry testers, Jan and Melissa, who offered so much fantastic assistance and also encouraged me to make the larger size!

I hope you enjoy the latest release and be forewarned: the stitch pattern featured in Integral is STILL bouncing around in my brain a bit, so there may be some matching mitts to go along with the shawls…..stay tuned!