The number three plays heavily in this shawl pattern. It is based on a simply titled “knitted square shawl” that appeared in Harper’s Bazar in 1877. This wonderful square shawl is worn folded in half, or could be used as a baby blanket or nursing throw. It includes three separate lace patterns: A foundation, a border, and an edging.

Adaptations to the original pattern
While the original Harper’s Bazar pattern required knitters to knit and attach the separate pieces, this modernized version is knit all-in-one.

The original also only used right-leaning decreases, which made for a shawl lacking symmetry, and included a few errors (including in the illustrations). I’ve corrected those issues here.

Why Sherry?
While I was creating this pattern in May of 2021 a very dear family friend named Sherry Coffee passed away suddenly of an aggressive autoimmune disorder. Sherry was a much-loved small-town English and History teacher who always encouraged me to follow my interests in those subjects. We also both shared a love of gardening. I’ve named this shawl in her honor and in acknowledgment of how much she is missed by her students, friends, and family.

Gague: 24 sts 36 rows = 4 inches in Trinity/ Foundation stitch (unblocked in Pashmina).

If using accent color: 246 in Color B, 600 yards in Color A

I strongly recommend using tapered wooden knitting needles (like Takumi by Clover) over metal or plastic for the stitch combinations. It will make knitting much easier.

FInished size ranges from 37x37 to 40x40 depending on the yarn used.