The Diamond Stole is the perfect stole for summer evenings to keep ones shoulders warm when wearing lightweight summer clothes but is equally at home in the colder weather wrapped around the neck keeping the wearer snug. It is rectangular in shape and over 2 metres (over 86 inches) in length and can be worn in a myriad of ways - draped over the shoulders or wrapped around the body, even as a scarf around the neck.

The inspiration for this beautiful stole can be found in an early 1950s needlecraft book which contained a design for a table mat including this beautiful diamond lace pattern. The lace pattern on the Diamond Stole includes small diamonds, half diamonds and a large central diamond in each pattern repeat and looks very different depending on whether it is viewed draped vertically or horizontally across the shoulders. It is a fascinating knit.

The stole is knitted in Bluem Sport, 100% Bluefaced Leicester wool which is extremely soft and has lots of drape – perfect for this elegant stole designed to be wrapped loosely around the neck and shoulders. This luxurious yarn is hand-dyed in-house by Susan and her team, and is shown here in Muscus, a luminous, tonal leaf-green. The stole takes 3 100g skeins or approximately 800m (870yds) of yarn and is knitted throughout on a 3.25mm (US 3) needle.

Sizing

Length of Stole: 216cm (86.5in); Width of Stole: 34cm (13.5in)

Yarn
Susan Crawford Bluem Sport weight, 100% British wool (265m / 290yds per 25g skein)
3 skeins, shade Muscus

Gauge

21 st repeat = 9.5cm (3.75in) over lace pattern after blocking. We obtained this gauge using 3.25mm needles.

Suggested Needles
3.25mm (US 2) circular needle (80cm in length) or 1 pair of 3.25mm straight needles

Techniques
Knitting lace from a chart, knitting in the round, working a provisional cast-on; following a chart; picking up stitches; blocking to shape