This design was inspired by tiny buds found on flowering plants. I wanted to find a way to recreate them in knitting, so after a few experiments I settled on these cute flat bobbles slipped over several rows, which are very effective when knitted in a contrasting colour that pops out from the rest of the work, just like the bright colours of buds contrast with the leaves of a plant. Best of all, as they’re made using slipped stitches, you only need to work with one colour at a time!

Approx. finished size after blocking:
Wingspan: 165cm (65”)
Depth: 29.5cm (11.5”)

Yarn:
Yarn A: Lottieknits Chameleon Singles (100% Superwash Merino Wool, 365m per 100g skein), Main Colour, 1 skein.

Yarn B: Lottieknits Chameleon Singles Minis (100% Superwash Merino Wool, 292m per 80g pack/4 x 73m per 20g skein), Contrast Colour, 1 pack.

Tension:
While a change of size may be acceptable for a shawl, I would strongly advise working a small swatch in garter st to check your tension both before and after and blocking, as a change in tension could result in running out of yarn. You can always leave the ball of yarn attached to the swatch and unravel it to use in your shawl (this is what I do all the time)!

The yarn quantities specified allow for 10% more yarn than is required at the specified tension, but if you tend to knit loosely you may need to use a needle one size smaller.

27 sts and 54 rows to 10cm (4”) in garter stitch before blocking
27 sts and 54 rows to 10cm (4”) in tiny buds pattern before blocking
27 sts and 48 rows to 10cm (4”) in tiny buds lace pattern before blocking

24 sts and 48 rows to 10cm (4”) in garter stitch after blocking
24 sts and 48 rows to 10cm (4”) in tiny buds pattern after blocking
22 sts and 24 rows to 10cm (4”) in tiny buds lace pattern after blocking

Needles:
3.25mm circular, 100cm long (the shawl is worked flat but a circular needle is needed to accommodate the large number of stitches)

Notions:
2 stitch markers
Tapestry needle