Gingko trees have some seriously cool looking leaves. They are shaped like fans with a crenelated lower edge which is divided by a vertical slit (biloba literally means 2 lobes). They are green most of the year but in the fall they turn an amazing yellow. If you are fortunate enough to stumble upon a gingko tree on a breezy day you’ll find the shape of the leaves allows them to flutter like mad. It’s hard not to smile when an entire tree is waving at you!

The Gingko Biloba shawl is an attempt to reproduce the shape of this happy leaf. Worked in garter stitch, the fan shape is created with short rows. The randomly crenelated edge is created by allowing the roll of a single die to determine how many stitches to cast on for each short row section. The shawl is made with Knit Picks Stroll Tonal sock yarn—a spectacular choice for this design as the subtle color changes of the yarn are evocative of veins on the leaf. Simply stunning!

Note: I’ve had several people contact me who were confused by the phrase “six-sided die”. I’ve included a picture of a six-sided die (see left) to clarify what I mean since admittedly dice are not typical knitting supplies!