The Mist on Mt. Etna Shawl

This shawl is a simple, beginner-friendly one-skein project. It's built around a single skein of Mist on Mt. Etna, our sage grey mohair silk with orange, red and yellow contrast sections, worked as a top-down triangle with the Crescent Moon Stitch appearing in the contrast sections as you go.

Materials

• 1 skein (50 g) Auridon Yarns Mist on Mt. Etna, mohair silk, assigned pooling, approximately 375 to 400 m (410 to 437 yd)
• Alternatively, any assigned pooling yarn, either lace-weight or fingering-weight, can be used, as long as it has a contrast coloured section of 10 to 12 inches in length
• 4mm (US6) needles. Needle size can be adjusted according to your wish for a denser or looser fabric

Gauge: 24 sts x 22 rows in stockinette stitch. Gauge is not very important in this pattern.

This pattern adjusts easily to whatever yardage you have on hand, roughly 200 to 800 m (219 to 875 yd). The sample shown uses 375 to 400 m (410 to 437 yd).

Abbreviations

• k knit, p purl
• kfb knit into the front and back of the same stitch (increase 1)
• k2tog knit 2 stitches together (decrease 1)
• sl3wyf slip 3 stitches purlwise with yarn held in front
• sl3b slip 3 stitches you've just worked back from your right-hand needle to your left-hand needle, so you can work them again
• k2togbl / p2togbl knit or purl 2 stitches together through the back loop (decrease 1)
• CO cast on
• RS / WS right side / wrong side

Increase section

Cast on 7 stitches, any method of choice.

Set-up row: Knit until 3 stitches remain, sl3wyf.

Row 1 (RS): k3, sl3b, knit to 4 stitches before the end of the row, kfb, sl3wyf. (+1)

Row 2 (WS): k3, sl3b, purl to 3 stitches before the end of the row, sl3wyf.

Row 3 (RS): k3, sl3b, knit to 3 stitches before the end of the row, sl3wyf.

Row 4 (WS): k3, sl3b, purl to 3 stitches before the end of the row, sl3wyf.

Repeat rows 1 to 4 until your remaining ball of yarn weighs 27 grams. That's roughly half your starting weight, with a little extra held back so you're not playing a game of yarn chicken at the end.

Decrease section

Row 1 (RS): k3, sl3b, knit to 5 stitches before the end of the row, k2tog, sl3wyf. (-1)

Row 2 (WS): k3, sl3b, purl to 3 stitches before the end of the row, sl3wyf.

Row 3 (RS): k3, sl3b, knit to 3 stitches before the end of the row, sl3wyf.

Row 4 (WS): k3, sl3b, purl to 3 stitches before the end of the row, sl3wyf.

Repeat rows 1 to 4 until 6 stitches remain on your needles. Bind off with any method of choice. Block and weave in ends.

The Crescent Moon Stitch

This is where the shawl earns its name. Whenever your yarn changes to a contrast colour section, work the Crescent Moon Stitch in place of the plain knit or purl stitches for that section, then continue on in pattern.

RS

K1, sl1b, k2, sl2b, k3, {sl3b, k2, k2togbl (-1)} x3. Continue on in pattern.

On the next row, once you've worked across the 3 or 4 contrast coloured stitches, cast on 3 stitches using a backwards loop cast on.

WS

P1, sl1b, p2, sl2b, p3, {sl3b, p2, p2togbl (-1)} x3. Continue on in pattern.

On the next row, once you've worked across the 3 or 4 contrast coloured stitches, cast on 3 stitches using a backwards loop cast on.

The cluster itself balances its own stitch count as you go: three stitches are decreased away during the cluster, then three are cast back on straight after, on the following row or round.

Continue on in your main colour until your yarn changes again, and work the next crescent the same way.

Finished size

I'm knitting this one up as I write the pattern, so I don't have an exact finished measurement yet. My current estimate is approximately 140 to 150 cm long by 35 cm wide at the widest point, though this will vary depending on your gauge and how firmly you block it. I'll update this section with the real number once mine is off the needles.

If you'd like to try this yourself, you'll find Mist on Mt. Etna in the shop.

Love,
Sophie