Lately, I’ve been playing around with different ways of shaping a shawl, intending to create a more flexible kind of shape that still can highlight a lace edging.

“Asking for Roses” is a narrow crescent, shaped with short rows, allowing a gentle curve to hug the shoulders, while draping gracefully around the neck. It’s a longer and narrower shape than most designs that use this kind of yardage, and I hope you find it fun to knit and flattering to wear.

The name is borrowed from a Robert Frost poem. Frost writes about an abandoned house amidst a garden of roses, and two lovers on a walk. In my mind, I can see Mary wearing this as she goes up to the open door, to inquire of the ghosts within.

Asking for Roses begins by knitting the lace edging along the long curved edge. The stitch pattern involves regular decreases when working Rows 15 - 18. This helps establish the curved edge.

Then, stitches are worked across the length of the lace, picking up stitches as necessary along the side edges.

The flattened circular shaping is accomplished with a series of short rows, worked in stockinette.

Finally, eyelet details and an icord bindoff finish the top edge of the shawl.

Pattern provided in both charted and written form.

ERRATA
In Version 1.0 and 1.1, the instructions on the chart are correct, but do not perfectly match the written instructions. In the written instructions, some of the decreases are reversed.

Here’s the correct written instructions, with the corrected bits in bold:

Row 1: Sl 1, k1, k2tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, SSK, k1, k2tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, SSK to last 2 sts, k2.

Row 3: Sl 1, k1, k2tog, k3, yo, k3, yo, k3, SSK, k1, k2tog, k3, yo, k3, yo, k3, SSK to last 2 sts, k2.

Row 5: Sl 1, k2tog, k3, yo, k5, yo, k3, SK2P, k3, yo, k5, yo to last 6 sts, k3, SSK, k1.

Row 7: Sl 1, k2tog, k2, yo, k7, yo, k2, SK2P, k2, yo, k7, yo to last 5 sts, k2, SSK, k1.

Row 9: Sl 1, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, SK2P, yo, k3, yo, k1, SK2P, k1, yo to last 13 sts, k3, yo, SK2P, yo, k3, yo, k1, SSK, k1.

Row 11: Sl 1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, SSK, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, SK2P, yo to last 14 sts, k3, yo, SSK, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, SSK, k1.

Row 13: OK as written

Row 15: Sl 1, k2tog, k3, yo, SSK, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, SK2P, k3 to last 11 sts, yo, SSK, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, SSK, k1.

Row 17: Sl 1, k2tog, k3, yo, SK2P, yo, k3, SK2P to last 12 sts, k3, yo, SK2P, yo, k3, SSK, k1.

In Version 1.0 of the pattern, Row 15 incorrectly says to work until the last 10 sts. It should be 11 sts. This has been fixed in Version 1.1.