For discounts on future patterns, join the Softyarn Designs newsletter.

Sitting on a bench under a tree in a peaceful park, flowers blooming nearby with butterflies fluttering and basking in the sun… that’s the mood of the Park Bench shawl.

Park Bench changes stitch patterns every few inches to keep your interest and features short repeats so you can cruise down each row without brain strain. Each stitch pattern evokes part of the peaceful scene.

This pattern has been tech edited and test knitted to give you a smooth knitting experience.

To make knitting easier:

• Each stitch pattern is both fully written out and charted each time it appears in the pattern.
• Closeups of each stitch pattern are included so you know what you’re aiming at.
• With stitch counts every time there is a change, you’ll know you’re on track every step of the way.
• The pattern includes tips on how to fix some common mistakes in lace knitting.

And for fun, there are pictures and descriptions of the real-life inspirations for each stitch.

Yarn: Fingering/sock yarn in three colors. The sample was worked with Baah Yarn La Jolla, a 100% superwash merino wool yarn with 400 yards (366 meters) per 115 grams.
The sample used 50 grams/180 yards/165 meters of C1 (gray), “On the Rocks,” 90 grams/315 yards/290 meters of C2 (purple), “Day Dream Believer,” and 70 grams/250 yards/230 meters C3 (blue), “Just Pooling Around.”

Difficulty: Advanced beginner/intermediate. The instructions are both fully written out and charted; the stitch patterns have very short repeats. There are detailed pictures of each stitch pattern.

Skills to have (or enjoy learning) for this pattern: k2tog, p2tog, yarn over, slipped stitches, kfb, pfb, ssk.

Finished dimensions: Approximately 48 x 64 x 68”/120 x 160 x 170 cm, with a 21”/52.5 cm drop, after blocking. The pattern provides instructions to make a larger shawl, if desired.

Needles: US 8/5.0 mm or size needed to achieve gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows to 4”/10 cm.

Questions? Please ask! Designer email is included in the pattern.

Thank you to tech editor Kephren Pritchett and to fabulous test knitters 62denise, acd101, CollinViljoen, RIKoop, and Yviexxx. If you might be interested in test knitting, join the Softyarn Designs newsletter list, where all of my tests are announced. When you sign up for the newsletter, you also get a free pattern that’s not available elsewhere (Simple Hat Worked Flat) plus subscriber-only promotions and other fun stuff. Join the list here.