Designing the Riot Gear shawl was a Pride Month meditation for me. I meditated on the current state of the world for my queer and trans siblings as I stitched. Spoiler alert: things are tough for us right now, all over the world, including in my country of the United States.

I thought about those we’ve lost, what must be done to protect those of us still here, and how best to celebrate all of us, our resilience and our beauty. Pride isn’t (just) a party - we grieve, we organize, we help and protect each other. However small, this shawl is my gift to my queer and trans siblings. A shawl of protection.

Pride is a riot. Here’s your Riot Gear.

Riot Gear is a top-down knitted shawl, made with fingering weight yarn on large needles for a heavenly drape. It is simple at times and engaging at others, with different textures and lace patterns to keep the knitting interesting.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Yarn: 600 yards (approx. 550m) of fingering weight yarn. The sample used 1.5 skeins of Emma’s Yarn Practically Perfect Sock in the colorway Lucky Charm. The shawl would do best with a lightly variegated or tonal yarn.

Needles: Size 8 (5.0mm) or size needed to achieve gauge and the perfect drape for you

Notions: Scissors, tapestry needle, 4 stitch markers

Final Measurements: 62 in (157.5 cm) wingspan by 24 in (61 cm) deep after blocking

Enjoy, and keep on creating! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at corin.purifoy@gmail.com