Aoinle Shawl Pattern

Aoinle is the Irish word for a nice spell between rain showers, which is something we get plenty of in our very changeable weather.
This shawl has it all, starting off with a garter section that is very tactile, stockinette sections broken up by subtle colour bands and than two very easy lace sections that combine to form great effects.
The size makes it versatile to wear, over the shoulders for statement effect or wrapped around the neck to keep everything warm, when the nice spell turns back into a cold shower.
It’s the perfect TV-knitting project, because of the simplicity of the individual sections, once the start is made, it just flies off the needles.

Difficulty

This pattern is relatively simple, using basic stitches. Only in the Daisies lace section are some lace stitches worked on the WS of the shawl.
Pattern repeats can easily be marked with stitch markers, so this pattern makes a great project for those learning how to read their stitches.

Sizes

One size, wingspan 180cm/ 71"

Yarn

Total 900m/ 985 yards of Fingering weight yarn (400m/ 437 yards per 100g)
586m/641 yards of Colour A (Turquoise)
314m/343 yards of Colour B (Light blue/rainbow)
Sample worked in 100% Merino (Colour A) and 75% Merino, 20% Nylon and 5% Sparkle (Colour B)

Yarn Substitutions

The yarn I used in the sample is a simple Fingering weight with a semi-solid for Colour A and a variegated for Colour B. I would recommend using two colours with strong contrast, with one of them being semi-solid.
The best way to ensure the two colours have plenty of contrast is to look take a picture of the two yarns side by side and then apply different filters, like greyscale to the picture. The two yarns should be very distinguishable with all filters.
The Merino yarn gives a lovely drape and softness to the shawl, I would recommend looking for a similar fibre when picking the right yarn for this project.

Needles

3.5 mm/ US size 4 long circular needles, or size required to achieve gauge.

Notions

Stitch Markers (2 main markers, and 7 smaller ones)
Darning Needle

Gauge

22 sts x 29 rows = 10cm/ 4” in stockinette stitch after blocking
For a shawl, the most important thing is that you love the texture of the finished object. Make sure to swatch and use the needle size that gives you your favourite texture, being mindful that this will impact the final yardage your project requires.