Path of Flowers Stole

Path of Flowers Stole by Chrissy Gardiner

Project Overview

The Path of Flowers Stole is a rectangular knitted wrap designed by Chrissy Gardiner and published by Gardiner Yarn Works. This elegant shawl features a delicate lace pattern with a lovely floral motif, creating a timeless heirloom piece suitable for many years of wear and enjoyment.

What Is Being Made

This project creates a rectangular stole measuring 25 inches by 66 inches after blocking. A stole is a versatile wrap garment that can be worn draped over the shoulders or styled in various ways. The finished dimensions make it an ideal accessory for layering and elegant draping.

Craft and Techniques

The Path of Flowers Stole is a knitting project worked in the lace-weight yarn category. The design employs lace knitting techniques to create the delicate floral pattern throughout the piece. Lace knitting involves strategic yarn overs and decreases that form openwork motifs, allowing the yarn to create intricate, airy designs. This technique requires attention to stitch placement and pattern following but results in a sophisticated, breathable fabric ideal for shawls and wraps.

Stitches and Pattern Details

The pattern utilizes stockinette stitch as the base fabric, with lace pattern sections worked from charts or written instructions. The design features an English Rose pattern as a key element of the floral motif. The project begins with a cast-on of 126 stitches and incorporates stitch markers to help organize pattern repeats and sections. The pattern is organized in rows, with specific instructions for right-side and wrong-side rows to maintain pattern integrity.

Materials and Tools

• Yarn: Lace-weight yarn, requiring a minimum of 1100 yards. The sample shown uses Mountain Colors Winter Lace in the Mountain Twilight colorway.
• Needles: Size 6 (4mm) needles for working the lace-weight yarn
• Additional Tools: Yarn needle for weaving in ends, and 6 stitch markers for tracking pattern sections

Gauge and Difficulty

The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, though the pattern notes that gauge is not critical for this particular project, offering flexibility for customization. The Path of Flowers Stole is rated as an intermediate difficulty level, making it suitable for knitters with some experience who are comfortable following lace patterns and managing multiple pattern sections.

Design Notes

This pattern was designed to showcase the beauty of lace-weight yarn in a classic rectangular format. The floral lace motif creates visual interest while the generous yardage requirement ensures the finished stole has substantial presence and drape. Blocking is essential to fully develop the lace pattern and achieve the finished dimensions of 25 inches by 66 inches.