Growing Native by Helen Cosgrove-Davies

Growing Native

Knitting
October 2023
Light Fingering ?
27 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches
in Climbing Vine Lace
US 4 - 3.5 mm
920 - 980 yards (841 - 896 m)
Length: 70”/175 cm; Depth: 15½”/39 cm
English
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Early last year I read a book on the importance of native plants to an ecosystem, and since then I’ve been diligently working to plant a wide variety of natives in my yard. I’ve noticed an amazing increase in the number of birds, insects, and butterflies spending time around my home since starting this project, and I am now fully committed to trying to increase the biodiversity on my small plot of land by slowly replacing areas of grass with various native plants.

The leafy and vine-like laces on this rectangular shawl are both distinct and harmonious, just like my native plants. The simple, four-row repeat in the middle of the shawl keeps your eye moving, admiring the time you have spent making something beautiful, while the larger flower-tipped stems on each edge offer a lovely counterpoint. By starting with a provisional cast on, both ends of the shawl are identical without the need for any grafting.

Yarn
Miss Babs Avon
85% Merino wool, 15% silk; 490 yd/3.5 oz (448 m/100 g) skeins
2 skeins, shown in Golden Anniversary

Or approximately 980 yards/896 meters of light fingering weight yarn.

Finished Measurements
Length: 70”/175 cm
Depth: 15½”/39 cm

Needles
US 4 3.5 mm circular needle, 24”/60cm, or size to obtain gauge

Gauge
Blocked: 27 stitches and 30 rows = 4”/10 cm square in Climbing Vine Lace pattern.
Blocked: 25 stitches and 32 rows = 4”/10 cm square in Leafy Edge Lace pattern.

Gauge is not critical for this project but will affect yardage and finished size if different from above.

Notions
Crochet hook
Scrap yarn
Stitch markers (optional, to mark garter edges and/or lace repeats)
Tapestry needle

This pattern has been professionally tech edited.