Samhla

by Lucy Hague

The cable pattern that flows across this wrap was created by overlaying and tessellating shapes and lines from the incised fish carving on the Gairloch Pictish stone. This pattern is entirely reversible, creating a thick warm fabric, and also includes subtle lace details that gently shape the course of the cables. Samhla is a Scottish Gaelic word for a symbol or a figure.

Yarn
Kate Davies Designs Ooskit (100%British wool; 220m / 240yds per 100g skein)
Riach: 4 × 100g skeins

Needles and notions
Gauge-size circular (at least 60cm / 24in) or straight needles
1 removable stitch marker or safety pin

Gauge
19 sts and 36 rows to 10cm / 4in over garter stitch worked back and forth on gauge-size needle(s)
24.5 sts and 41.5 rows to 10cm / 4in over main reversible cable pattern worked back and forth on gauge-size needle(s)
Use 4.5mm needle as a starting point for swatching.
Size
Width: 47cm / 18½in
Length: 120.5cm / 47½in

Pattern notes

This design features fully reversible travelling cables, which are achieved using a combination of slipped stitches and cable stitches. Because the fabric is reversible, instead of referring to a RS and WS, the instructions refer to ‘Side 1’ and ‘Side 2’. All odd-numbered rows are worked on Side 1 and all even-numbered ros are worked on Side 2. It’s recommended that you mark one of the sides with a safety pin or removable stitch marker to distinguish between them. Note that Side 1 and Side 2 are presented in separate charts, with the side that is being worked shown as the right side; this means that each row of each chart should always be read from right to left (that is, reading right to left, work Row 1 of Side 1, then, reading right to left, work Row 1 of Side 2). All stitches are slipped purlwise.

Adding extra length:
Each 80 row vertical repeat of Chart B (with 3 horizontal repeats of bordered section) adds 19.5cm / 7¾in to length of shawl, and uses approx. 66g (145m / 160yds) of yarn.