Gentiana Shawl

The name of the flower "gentiana" (in Russian "горечавка"): named after the king of Illyria — Geniсius or Gentius, who, according to legend, first discovered the medicinal properties of yellow gentian. Gentians usually have blue, light blue flowers, and less often yellow or white.



The "Gentiana" shawl originally represents a Trachtentuch - a scarf made of dense silk, smooth or printed, in a national (Austrian, German) style, i.e., it is an accessory of the women's national costume "dirndl," which is worn around the neck or shoulders.



Despite its "peasant" origins, the shawl is very lacy, so the yarn needs to be quite thin - 450...500 m per 100 g.



Yarn composition: pure natural wool (can have minimal synthetic additives, but better without them), natural cotton, linen, bamboo.



Estimated yarn consumption: 570...600 m.

The shawl is knitted from the center of the upper neck edge towards the lower corner, following a pattern with knit and purl rows (with turning of the fabric).



Cast on 8 stitches (2 edge stitches and 6 stitches for the body of the shawl). The edge stitch at the beginning of the row is slipped, not knitted, inserting the needle from right to left, as when knitting purl, with the yarn behind the work. The edge stitch at the end of the row is knitted knitwise through the back loop. This method of knitting the edge stitches provides rigidity at the edge of the shawl where it should not stretch – on the section "shoulder-neck-shoulder".



Rows 1-49 are read in the pattern from right to left, i.e., from the edge of the shawl to the central stitch, then left to right – from the central stitch to the edge of the shawl. In rows 1-49, the shawl has two central stitches.



The expansion of the fabric in rows 1-47 occurs due to increases (knit 2 from 1 stitch) at the beginning and end of the row, both knit and purl, and increases in the knit row on both sides of the central stitches. In total, in the knit row, 4 stitches are added, and in the purl row – 2 stitches.



In row 48, there should be 150 stitches on the needle, including 2 edge stitches, rows 49-54 are knitted without increases.



Purl rows 2, 4, 6, 18, 20, 22, 34, 36, 38, 50, 52, 54 are knitted knitwise. Other purl rows, unless otherwise indicated in the pattern, are knitted purlwise.



To minimize errors in understanding the first rows of the pattern, I have detailed the rows from one to eight by stitches:



Row 1 – edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; knitwise crossed.; knitwise crossed.; knit 2 from 1 st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 2 – edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 8 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 3 – edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 3 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; knitwise crossed.; knitwise crossed.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 3 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 4 – edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 14 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 5 – edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 6 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; knitwise crossed.; knitwise crossed.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 6 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 6 – edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 20 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 7 - edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 9 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; knitwise crossed.; knitwise crossed.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 9 knit.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.

Row 8 - edge st.; knit 2 from 1 st.; 26 purl.; knit 2 from 1 st.; edge st.



And so on according to the pattern.