This shawl was born out of my need to self soothe. When life feels hard and complicated, I want to find comfort in a knit that is easy, mindless, and meditative: the opposite of hard.
My hope for you is as you knit this shawl, you feel the comfort and support that a dear friend would provide.

Dear Friend begins with a garter tab cast-on and then is worked back and forth. To add interest, I have switched between fingering, fingering held double, and DK. While you change the weight of yarn used, you also change the needle sizes. Simple eyelets are inserted to break up the garter stitch. This shawl is bound off using both weights held double using Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off method, resulting in an elastic, but firm edge. Dear Friend Shawl is a great transitional piece and can be worn in many seasons

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Materials:
DK weight yarn: total approx yarn used: 230 meters/251 yards
Sample Shown in Union Fibre, Union DK, 100% Superwash Extra Fine Merino,
230 meters/251 yards per 115g, colorway Hellebore, (1 skein)
&
Fingering weight yarn: total approx yarn used: 391 meters/427 yards
Sample Shown in Union Fibre, Union 4ply, 100% Superwash Merino,
400 meters/437 yards per 100g, colorway Hellebore, (1 skein)

NOTE: Yardage used is dependent on matching your gauge to pattern. Both skeins were used
almost completely.

Needles:
3.5 mm/US #4 circ (circ needles used to accommodate growing amount of sts)
3.75 mm/US #5 circ, or size to obtain gauge
4 mm/US #6 circ, or size to obtain gauge
4.5 mm/US #7 circ, or size to obtain gauge

Notions:
2 stitch markers of one color to denote border sts
1 removable marker to denote right side of fabric
Blocking mat & blocking pins or wires

Gauge:
21 sts/52 rows= 4 in (10 cm) square in Garter Stitch worked flat using 3.5 mm/US #4 circ
needles after blocking in fingering weight yarn
20 sts/44 rows= 4 in (10 cm) square in Garter Stitch worked flat using 3.75 mm/US #5 circ
needles after blocking in fingering weight yarn held double
19 sts/40 rows= 4 in (10 cm) square in Garter Stitch worked flat using 4 mm/US #6 circ
needles after blocking in DK weight yarn

Size Information:
Dear Friend is a crescent shaped shawl with a long wingspan to easily wrap around your neck and shoulders. It is worked in a loose gauge to give it wonderful drape. The eyelets created in the body give Dear Friend a rippling effect as the body increases more than the edges. This also produces delicate curls on the tips of the shawl.

Finished Measurement:
A. Total wingspan: 60 in/152.5 cm
B. Center depth: 25.5 in/65 cm

This pattern has been professionally tech edited and tested.
Included in purchase is the Pattern PDF with pictures and a printer friendly version, without pictures.
Photography: Amy Selleck // Tech Editing: Kristina McGrath