Long Trail Shawl by Alice Dunn Smith

Long Trail Shawl

Knitting
October 2025
Sport (12 wpi) ?
22 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches
in Stockinette
US 5 - 3.75 mm
475 - 500 yards (434 - 457 m)
One Size
English
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Long Trail Path in VT, otherwise known as the “footpath in the wilderness” for hikers, traverses through the Green Mountain National Forest and is part of the Appalachian Trail. As a day hiker, I imagine a lovely woods-walk, rich with Fall foliage.

This triangular shawl begins with MC Garter section, then MC Paths on a CC Stockinette background. After more MC Garter and CC Stockinette, new Paths nestle around a MC Double Moss section. The pattern is completed with a return to Paths on a CC Stockinette background and an MC garter border before an Icelandic BO.

Feel free to cut and join, or carry the MC / CC yarn, as you work the shawl; I’ve knit samples both ways based on my desire to weave in ends or not weave in ends.

If you use Making Tracks Lite CC, I recommend carrying yarn up the side as you work the shawl, so you don’t run short on yarn. I used every bit of the CC on the 2nd sample where I did cut, join, and weave in the yarn ends, and needed to skip the last CC row.

Difficulty/Skills Required: Easy. Knit, Purl, M1R, M1L, Duplicate stitch, Long-tail cast on, Icelandic bind off.

Yarn Weight: Fingering, Sport, DK

Notions:
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers

Gauge:
All gauges are calculated per 4” / 10 cm finished, blocked fabric on US 5 / 3.75 mm needles. Gauge is not critical for this project, but variations will affect yardage.
Garter: 22 sts and 48 rows
Stockinette: 22 sts and 32 rows

Suggested Yarns:
Junction Fiber Mills Making Tracks LITE (100% Wool: Merino, Targhee, Corriedale); 200 yds / 183 m per 1.76 oz / 50 g skein.
Yarn Shown:
Junction Fiber Mills Making Tracks LITE.
MC: Forest
CC: Leaf Peeping

Yardage:
MC: 285 yds / 261 m
CC: 190 yds / 174 m
No buffer added.

Needle Size:
US 5 / 3.75 mm, 40” / 100 cm or 60” / 150 cm circular needle

Size:
Sample size, fully blocked:
See schematic.
Vertical depth: approx 22.25” / 56.5 cm. Horizontal width: approx 48” / 122 cm.

Tech Editing: Annie B. Lin