Also available as a knitCompanion design from Create2Thrive. #kcdesign

The Story
Jay Unger’s beautiful lament Ashokan Farewell inspired this shawl ~ a loving knit to wrap oneself in for comfort. The leaves of the Catskill forests, the intertwining bonds of friendship and the coming together and moving apart that are an integral part of our lives are all reflected in this cable and lace creation.

In 1982 Jay Unger composed Ashokan Farewell to express his deep sense of loss at the closing of his Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp held in the Catskill Mountains of NY. As friends once again parted and followed their life’s path, he embodied his loss in this hauntingly beautiful lament. This sense of loss can be equally applied to the residents of Ashokan whose village was relocated from this beautiful valley to facilitate the building of a reservoir to serve New York City in the early 1900s.

Pattern Notes
Ashokan, the fourth design in the Celtic Shawl Series, is a gently arc-shaped shawl incorporating lace and cable stitches worked from the bottom upward. Decreases in the initial rows form the bottom edge into 12 points. The top edge of the shawl is finished using an I-Cord bind off which provides a lovely finish with a firm edge.

Size
Top Edge: 55” / 140 cm
Bottom Edge: 83” / 211 cm
Depth: 19 ½ - 21 ½” / 50 – 55 cm

Yarn
Green Sample: 952 yds / 871 m Cascade 220 Superwash Sport (136 yds / 125 m per 1 ¾ oz / 50 g ball; 100% superwash merino wool) in Granny Smith 850.
’Mai Tai’ Sample: 1096 yds / 1002 m Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport (137 yds / 125 m per 1 ¾ oz / 50 g ball; 100% Peruvian Highland Wool) in Mai Tai Heather

If substituting yarn, be sure to choose a yarn that blocks well so that the lace portions of this shawl will look their best.

Suggested Needles
Adjust needle size as required to obtain the correct gauge.

4mm / US 6 circular 48” / 122 cm
Cable needle

Gauge
Two gauges are provided to help choose substitute yarns and evaluate the drape of the knitted fabric once blocked.

22 sts / 28 rows = 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette stitch (washed and laid to dry)
20 sts / 26 rows = 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette stitch (washed, stretched, pinned and air dried)

Notions
Yarn needle (to weave in ends)

Method
Knit flat, bottom-up.
Pattern is fully charted; row by row written directions are also provided.

This pattern is 12 pages.

Other patterns in the Celtic Shawl Series:
# 1: Margaree Harbour Shawl (crescent)
# 2: Lady of the Canyon Shawl (rectangular)
# 3: On the Moor Shawl (Faroese-style)

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