I designed this shawlette with the original Alice in mind - Lewis Carroll’s friend Alice Pleasance Liddell, who inspired him to write such amazingly profound stories. To begin with I wanted to create something lacy and feminine in keeping with the Victorian mindset, but with strong geometry to reflect the independent and unique little girl that Alice was. I think the combination of floral motifs and the triangular shapes fits this objective well.

Of course, the flowers and the mix of blues are inspired directly by the story. When Roxanne of Zen Yarn Garden asked me what color I would like to work with for this project, the first thing that came to mind was the classic sky blue of Alice’s dress, mixed with some purple and periwinkle tones to add a touch of mystery.

Roxanne really outdid herself with the Wonderland colorway; the amazing range of blues and purples is stunning in photos, but even more beautiful in person. Roxanne’s ZYG Serenity Silk is a pleasure to work with - it is the perfect mix of merino and silk; the nupps really ‘pop’ and the finished project has a beautiful sheen and drape.

The shawlette is worked from the bottom edge in one piece starting with the lace and is shaped into a crescent with simple stockinette short rows. The lace includes nupps for texture, but these can be replaced by beads or omitted altogether. The bind off edge also features an optional lace with nupps for additional interest. Total of 145 6/0 4mm beads: 125 for the lace, 20 beads for the bind off edge.

The Pleasance pattern is now available as Ravelry download.

This pattern was originally published as part of the Victorian Writers Knitting Club from Woolgirl in June 2011.

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