Luxurious cashmere yarn and mosaic slipped stitch chevron patterns make a stunning bias shawl, featuring two rich colors alternating in a striking zigzag across a lighter contrasting background. June Cashmere’s ethically sourced and organically dyed yarn, which behaves like a light fingering weight, originates with fiber from small family farms in the mountain communities of Kyrgyzstan along the ancient Silk Road. As part of their mission to be an engine for social and economic change in the region, the company partners with local shepherds to bring fine quality fiber to the international market for fair compensation. Issykol is named for Issyk-Kul Lake, the seventh deepest and tenth largest lake in the world, located in the globally significant and biodiverse Issy-Kul Biosphere Reserve.

Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, cable CO, knit, increasing/decreasing, slipstitch colorwork. Instructions for this pattern are fully written, with charts also provided for the slipstitch colorwork.

Size: 72” length and 17” depth. Highly customizable, with an adjustable 12-row repeat to alter the zigs and zags and infinite garter stitch bordering each end, Issykol may be easily adjusted for varying amounts of yardage.

Yarn: June Cashmere Lace Weight (100% Kyrgyz Cashmere; 308 yards/281m/50g), sample shown in Espresso (A), Stonecrop (B) and Black Cherry (C); 1 skein each of three colors, or approximately 775 yards of light fingering weight yarn. The sample used 252 yards A, 218 yards B and 292 yards C;  see Designer’s Notes for suggestions on adjusting for different yardage.

Other Materials: US 5 (3.75mm) 32” circular needle, or size to match gauge; Marker; Yarn needle.

Gauge: 22 st and 44 rows/4″ in garter stitch after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, however a different gauge may result in a smaller or larger finished shawl, and different yardage requirements.

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