Inspired by the poems “A Drop fell On The Apple Tree and “Like Rain It Sounded Till It Curved” by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), the Gentle Rain Shawl represents the individual raindrops that often precede an intensive rain shower. The poet Emily Dickinson wrote almost 1800 poems during her lifetime and many of her poems contain detailed references to the natural world and the weather. 

The Gentle Rain Shawl stitch pattern builds up gradually from textured eyelets worked within garter stitch to larger eyelet holes on a stocking stitch background. Each stitch pattern represents the changing intensity of a rain shower, with the final drops worked as a picot cast off edge.

The shawl is knitted with one skein of merino silk 4ply yarn and one skein of alpaca silk lace yarn held together throughout, with the alpaca fibres gently blurring both the yarn shades and the stitch patterns. The shawl’s curving asymmetric shape is created by knitting a right-angled triangle on the bias.

Size
120cm/47¼in (decrease edge) × 
80cm/31½in (cast off edge)

Yarns Required
Irish Artisan Yarn Hand Dyed 4ply Yarn (85% Non-superwash Merino, 15% Silk, 450m/492yd per 100g skein) Shade Flax; 1 × 100g skein.
held together with
Irish Artisan Yarn Hand Dyed Lace Yarn (75% Baby Suri Alpaca, 25% Silk, 420m/460yd per 50g skein) Shade Cornflower; 1 × 50g skeins.
Yarn amounts given are based on average requirements and are approximate.

More Yarn Options!
This shawl can be knitted with multiple 4ply mini-skeins, with similar total meterage/ yardage, in place of the 100g merino silk 4ply yarn.
You will need:
6 x 80m 4ply mini-skeins = 480m held together with the Alpaca Lace yarn detailed above.

This shawl can be knitted with DK yarn with similar total meterage/ yardage as the merino silk 4ply yarn. This option is knitted without the Alpaca Lace Yarn.
You will need:
2 x 225m full size skeins = 450m
OR
10 x 45m DK mini-skeins = 450m

Additional photos show Emma’s DK Gentle Rain Shawl version using 10 x 45m DK minis from the IAY 2024 Advent.