New Pattern! Diamond Cascade Shawl

Posted on 10:00am Friday 30th Oct 2020

It's here! I am excited to let you know that my new pattern, the Diamond Cascade Shawl is now available to download from the website, Ravelry and Payhip!

About this Pattern

This large, yet soft and delicate, top-down triangular shawl is ideal for romantic dinners, evening strolls or just adding a touch of sparkle to the everyday. Streams of diamond lace cascade outward from the centre spine, ending in a splash of lace along the border. Beads in the centre of each motif twinkle in the light, like the glinting of the sea at sunset. Thanks to the simple and repetitive stitch pattern, the adventurous beginner will find this a great introduction to beaded lace, whilst the seasoned knitter will enjoy the easy-to-memorize pattern.

A video tutorial on how to work the Diamond Lace stitch pattern and add a bead to each centre is linked in the pattern. It also includes handy tips on how to read your lace stitches, so you can easily double check that your stitches are in the right place on each row.

Choose a smooth laceweight yarn in a solid or semi-solid colourway to show off the stitch pattern. Opt for matching or contrasting coloured beads to let your personality sparkle.

A handy stitch count checklist is provided at the end of the pattern to help you keep track of your progress.

Skills / Techniques used: Knit, purl, yarnovers, decreases, beadwork

Sizes: One size

Measurements: The finished blocked shawl measures 73” (185cm) wingspan and 33.5” (85cm) depth at the longest part

Materials Used:

3.5oz / 100g, 656 yds / 600m skein of laceweight yarn. The yarn used in the pattern is Under the Olive Tree Peristera Lace Yarn – 55% superwash BFL / 45% silk in the Thunder Blue colourway
708 x size 8 beads – The beads used in the pattern picture are Gunmetal Peacock from Under the Olive Tree Knits
1 x 0.5mm crochet hook for adding the beads
1 x US size 4 (3.5mm) 32-40” (80-100cm) circular needle
1 x Stitch marker for marking the centre stitch

Gauge: 24 stitches and 38 rows to 4” (10cm) in stockinette stitch after blocking

Customisable kits for the shawl are available on the website. And when you purchase the pattern as part of a kit you get it for free!

What's in the Kit?

The yarn in the Diamond Cascade kit is the Peristera Lace yarn, a gorgeous blend of 55% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester and 45% Silk yarn. This yarn gives you all of the stitch definition, drape and warmth from the Blue-Faced Leicester, coupled with the sheen and softness of the silk. It really is a pleasure to knit with. Each kit comes with a full 100g skein at 656 yds / 600m in a colour of your choice.

Also included are 750 x size 8 (3mm) Miyuki seed beads. Here are just a few of the colours available for you to choose from, you can click HERE to see the full range.

To complete your kit you can choose whether to add a 3.75mm KingPro Zing circular needle, and / or a 0.5mm crochet hook to your order. Kits come in an organza bag and make great gifts either to yourself or a knitting friend!

Click HERE for more details on the kits.

The pattern has been professionally tech edited by James Bartley and was tested by a fantastic group of test knitters too!

Thank you Sabina, Hazel, Kim, Anne and Karen!

I loved seeing the different colours and combinations of the test knitter shawls. Sabina used Peristera Lace in Shell, and then rummaged through her bead stash for a lots of multi-coloured sparkles! And Anne chose not to add the beads but instead knitted the shawl in a gorgeous blue, pink and purple variegated yarn. It made my day when I saw her beach photoshoot capturing the same pose I did for the final pattern pics!

I hope you like the new design, I've been so excited to get this one out and share it with you.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, happy knitting!