Colorblocks, stripes and vertical dropped stitches - it’s Not Quite Plaid, but looks vaguely tartan. An asymmetric bias shape and an atypical approach to creating a stitch pattern result in a fabric on which to combine colors for a nontraditional and modern shawl that is infinitely customizable. Choose colors and yarns that speak to you from your stash for your own perfect (not quite) plaid.

Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing; instructions are both fully written and charted.

Size: 84” length and 32” depth, customizable to any size.

Yarn: Baah! La Jolla (100% merino wool; 400 yards/366m/100g); 1 skein each of color A/Night Sky, color B/Obsidian, color C/Grey Onyx and color D/La Perla. A plied sock yarn with a somewhat tight twist helps maintain the integrity of the dropped stitches. The sample used approximately 275/100/205/215 yards respectively of colors A/B/C/D but any amount of yarn in any combination may be used; see Designer’s Notes.

Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 32” circular needle or size to match gauge; marker (1); removable markers (optional); Yarn needle; 4mm crochet hook (optional) for dropping stitches.

Gauge: 22 st and 28 rows/4” in stockinette stitch, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, however a different gauge may result in a smaller or larger finished shawl, and different yardage requirements.

Thank you to my wonderful tech editor Kate Vanover.