さくらひらひら舞い降りて落ちて / Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite
揺れる 想いのたけを抱きしめた / Yureru omoi no take wo dakishimeta.
君と 春に 願いしあの夢は / Kimi to haru ni negai shi ano yume wa
今も見えているよ / Ima mo miete iru yo.
さくら舞い散る / Sakura maichiru.

The cherry blossoms flutter, dancing, to the ground,
Blanketing every bit of my tremulous love.
That dream that I wished for with you in spring,
Even now, I’m still dreaming it.
The cherry blossom petals fall, twirling.

-Sakura, Ikimonogakari (Translated by Christy Furlan)

Sitting on a river bank in Japan in springtime picnicking with the cherry blossoms is hands-down one of my favorite places to be. I was lucky enough to spend a year studying abroad in Japan when I was in college working on my major in Japanese and minors in English and Translation. The song above by the amazing band Ikimonogakari was always a hit on karaoke nights while I lived there. Not least because I love the Japanese word “hirahira”, which is an onomatopoeia for fluttering. This song, and that word, always remind me of sunny spring days, lovely flowers, and happy memories. Thinking about my time in Japan, I was inspired by a beautiful skein of Daizie Knits yarn to knit those feelings into a breezy, happy shawl.

I experimented with many different lace patterns before I figured out just the right one to represent fluttering cherry blossom petals. The dancing cherry blossoms on the edging are set against a field of garter stitch that allows the gorgeous variegated yarn to shine. To further show off the variegation of the lovely Daizie Knits yarn I used in my sample, I chose a simple i-cord to border the squishy garter stitch shawl body. This happily also made the design reversible and easy to wear any which way.

I used just one skein of fingering weight yarn in my sample and achieved an asymmetrical shawlette sized nicely for keeping cozy in spring breezes. However, due to the nature of this design, it can be knit up with any amount or weight of yarn to achieve a shawl as big or small as desired. As you read through this pattern, you will see notes on how to accommodate the yarn you have on hand.

Could you use some happy springtime memories to brighten up your needles? Grab a skein or two of your favorite yarn and give this simple shawl design a try. The stitch repeat is easy to memorize and knit up – making this design a perfect project for spring or summer vacation knitting. Even better, your finished work will always remind you of a brilliant spring day.

Yarn Used in Sample:
Daizie Knits Hybrid (Light Fingering; 50% merino, 50% tencel; 384 yd 351 m per 100 g skein), Smell the Roses; 1 skein

Needles:
For my fingering weight sample, I used US 4 / 3.5 mm needles. Choose your needle size based on your selected yarn weight to obtain your preferred gauge. Needles should be for working flat – straight or circular as preferred.

Notions:
Yarn scale, 2 stitch markers, cable needle

Yardage Estimates from Sample:
379 yd (347 m), 99 g

Final Measurements:
Length: 45.5” (116 cm);
Width: 22” (56 cm);

This pattern has been tech edited and test knit.

I would like to extend a very special thank you to my fabulous technical editor, (meanestmommy), and to my wonderful, helpful test knitters: Leonie (Suitzme), Liz Hutchison (Lizziehutch), Mayhla (mayhlamade), Liz Solomon Wright (LizSolomonWright), Teri Persing (KnittingCounts), and Kimberly Bigley (CrazyKimmie724). Arigatou gozaimasu!