With only the last flashes of Autumn leaves glowing like bands of fire in the trees, the woods grow dark.

Dark Woods is an asymmetrical triangle shawl, knit with fingering weight yarn held double. This shawl is marled and faded into a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art.

A beginner friendly pattern, perfect for using those single skeins. Go bright, or subtle. This is a large squishy shawl, knits up very quickly and is easy to wear!

Skills Required
Cast-on, knit, increase, decrease, bind off using a stretchy method.

Materials
Yarn used for the Sample:
5 x Sock Obsession Yarns, 75/25 superwash merino/nylon, 4ply, 463 yds/100g.
C1: Smoky Mountains (dark blue/grey)
C2: Foggy (dark teal)
C3: Element 1 (grey/beige/blue)
C4: Glacier (mint/teal)
CC: Curry On (rust/orange)

Yarn Suggestion:
You will need 4 different colours of a fingering weight yarn, with a yardage to weight ratio of 463yds/100g. These 4 colours will make up your marled fade. You will also need 1 additional skein, in a contrast colour, for the stripes.

Approx. Yardage:
The pattern uses the entire skein of C1, C2, and C3. Approximately 75g/350yds of C4 is used, and approximately 60g/280yds of CC is used.

Total yardage is approx. 2020yds of fingering weight yarn, HELD DOUBLE.

Suggested Needles:
4.5mm/US 7, 60cm/24” length, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Notions:
1 stitch marker, darning needle.

Gauge: 20 sts and 40 rounds/10cm or 4”, in garter stitch, with yarn held double.

Notes:
-This shawl is a great way to use single skeins to build your fade! Choose colours that are a natural gradient for a subtle fade, such as dark blue to light blue, or go totally wild and use those crazy skeins you needed to have, but weren’t sure what to do with. We are holding the yarn double, so you will essentially be creating your own one-of-a-kind colour in the marled fade sections.

-Choosing a contrast colour really depends on what finished result you are looking for. If you want subtle stripes, use a colour that exists in your marled fade colours, just lighter or darker. For stripes that really pop, choose a complimentary colour that isn’t a dominant part of your fade colours.

Some high contrast ideas: a black to grey gradient, with a neon stripe! Earth tone gradient with aqua stripe. Or maybe soft baby pinks, corals, and fuchsias with a mint stripe.

Low contrast/subtle ideas: one colour gradient from light to dark, such as greens, with brown CC stripes. Grey gradient with CC burgundy stripes. All the purples with CC cobalt blue stripes.

The colour options are endless!

-Since we are using two strands of yarn at a time, wind your skeins into center pull cakes so you can easily use one strand from the outside and one strand from the middle at the same time.

-I wanted a project that didn’t create leftovers. We will use every yard of C1, C2, and C3. It doesn’t matter if you run out in the middle of a row, just attach the next colour yarn as indicated in the pattern and continue.

-If you are using leftovers for this project and don’t have quite the same yardage as I’ve listed, or you want to use LOTS of leftovers and colours, leave yourself enough yardage to make your fades. How much is ‘enough’? Depends on how much you are starting with. However, Colour Fade 1 requires less yardage for the fade than Colour Fade 2 and 3 because it is worked over fewer sts. Try for 10% of the yardage remaining for Colour Fade 1, and 25% for Colour Fade 2 and 3. There is no wrong way however, go with your gut, or email me for guidance!

-Make sure to read in the abbreviation section how we are increasing.

-DO NOT cut your fade yarn when working CC stripes. Carry the unused colour up the side to eliminate a bunch of ends to weave in.

-The basic pattern rep is 18 garter ridges of marled fade per section, and either a 2-ridge stripe or a 4-ridge stripe in CC.