What happens when you take one of the oldest and most recognizable Shetland lace stitches in history, blow it up to three times its normal size, and knit it in an eye-searing neon yarn?

You get the Cleveland Shale Shawl.

A newfangled take on a traditional favorite, the Cleveland Shale Shawl reinvents the classic Old Shale Stitch for modern knitters. This easy rectangular shawl pattern uses basic increases and decreases and works up quickly on US 9 / 5.5 mm needles using DK weight yarn. It’s simple enough for beginner lace knitters and sufficiently varied to hold even the most seasoned knitter’s interest.

For best results, choose a semi-solid or subtly variegated yarn. The lace details and undulating texture may get lost in high contrast colorways.

This pattern has been fully tested and professionally tech edited for accuracy and clarity. US knitting terminology is used throughout.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS One size, 18 in / 45.5 cm by 60 in / 152.5 cm

YARN REQUIREMENTS Approximately 462 yards / 422.5 m of DK weight yarn

SAMPLE SHOWN IN Two skeins of Superfine Yarn Co. W. 25th St MCN DK (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon, 231 yards / 211 m per 3.5 oz / 100 g) in exclusive Yarn Discovery Tour colorway for Around the Table Yarns

NEEDLES US 9 / 5.5 mm or size needed to obtain gauge; 24 in / 60 cm or longer circular needles recommended

NOTIONS Tapestry needle; scissors, 2 stitch markers

GAUGE 14.5 sts and 14 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in stockinette stitch, knit flat, blocked aggressively

Gauge is not important, however different yarn/needles/gauge will affect yarn required and finished measurements

A NOTE ON ROW 9 RS:

If you end up with a bunch of extra stitches after knitting Row 9, it’s because you’re missing all of the k2tog and ssk decreases on either side of the yarn overs in Row 9, so all those 21 yarn overs in the middle made a bunch of extra stitches.

Normally when we knit lace, we knit a yarn over increase followed immediately by a decrease stitch (for example, yo, k2tog) -- the yarn over creates an extra stitch, and the k2tog removes it right away. But in the Cleveland Shale Shawl, you clump a bunch of decreases together, then a clump of increases, and then another clump of decreases, so it feels a little funny!

If you get the numbers right though, all those increases and decreases should cancel each other out so you end up with the same number of stitches you started with.

Here’s what you should do for Row 9, written out a bit more clearly:

Row 9 RS: Knit 3 sts, slip the marker, yarn over once, k2tog twelve times in a row, (yo, k1) 21 times, yarn over once, ssk twelve times in a row, yarn over once, slip the marker, and knit the last 3 sts.

Written out even further, it would look something like this:

k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk, ssk

I hope that helps! Please email me at christineparkerco@gmail.com if you have additional questions!

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