Lace and Bead Shawl Knitting Pattern - The Beauty of the Rain Shawl

Kits are available for the Beauty of the Rain shawl.

This pattern is also available to purchase on Ravelry

“The beauty of the rain,

Is how it falls, how it falls, how it falls” 

     Dar Williams, The Beauty of the Rain

This shawl was inspired by one of my favourite singer-songwriters, Dar Williams. The song itself is a love song, but this line always strikes a chord with me.

It’s a well-known stereotype that us Brits like to talk about the weather. It’s always makes for a good topic of conversation because it’s so unpredictable and has the ability to scupper our plans for a nice day out at short notice. But I do think that rain sometimes gets a bad rap. Even though rain can darken our skies and cancel our plans at the last minute with its gloomy demeanour, we can’t live without it!

The Beauty of the Rain shawl was designed to celebrate the inevitable rainfalls that shower upon us. Whether the rain is predicted or unexpected, literal or metaphorical, there will always be grey days. But these days can offer a chance to take a step back and view things from a different perspective, a chance to try something new, or offer some time-out for reflection and self-care.

Rainy days also make for excellent knitting days ;)

But whatever the weather, this pretty lace shawl will be sure to keep any boredom at bay! Knitted with laceweight yarn, the shawl alternates sections of stockinette with a pretty diamond lace pattern. The lace begins as a thin solitary band, which then expands in the next section, before opening up into a full cascade of lace all the way to the border. Beads sparkle in the centre of each diamond, but the frequency of their placement slowly trickles off as you work your way towards the edge. The picot bind-off also incorporates beads which are suspended like hanging raindrops along the very bottom of your finished shawl.

Listen to the song, ‘The Beauty of the Rain’

Skills / Techniques used: Sl1 wyif, kyok, yo, knit, purl, k-tbl, k2tog, ssk, sl2tog-k1-p2sso, sl1-k2tog-psso, k3tog

Sizes: One size

Measurements: The finished blocked item measures 73” (185cm) wingspan and 22” (56cm) length

Materials Used

• 3.5oz / 100g, 656 yds / 600m skein of laceweight yarn. The yarn used in the pattern is Under the Olive Tree Silk and Blue-Faced Leicester Lace Yarn – 55% superwash BFL / 45% silk in the Purple Velvet colourway
• 1 x 0.5mm crochet hook for adding the beads
• 1 x US size 4 (3.5mm) 32-40” (80-100cm) circular needle
• 55 x stitch markers (optional for marking off the lace repeats)
• 344 x size 8 (3mm) beads – The beads used in the pattern picture are Iridescent Amethyst from Under the Olive Tree Knits

Gauge

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

A video tutorial is linked in the pattern for the picot bind off.