Elisabetta is an ephemeral, reversible shawl worked at a gauzy gauge in a geometric knit-purl damask pattern. Is it lace? Yes, but there are no yarn-overs. It is created from a single skein of beautiful Shimmering Tussah from A Verb for Keeping Warm. The silk tussah yarn is a 2-ply with a suble tooth which helps the fabric meld like a wool, while feeling more like a cotton.

The top and bottom borders are worked with strands held together, but the main body of the shawl is a single strand. The heavier weight of the top and bottom borders gives the shawl drape and keeps the lace fabric open.

The knits and purls catch the light differently, creating the damask effect when viewed at glancing angle, but if the shawl is viewed single-thickness or with any backlight, it is transparent. This chameleonesque quality harkens to another era when lace was more common, but it is also modern and clean. Elisabette is perfect for anyone dressing up or down and in cool or warm weather.