Whisper Wrap | Purl Soho

Summer’s parties demand some tricky layering strategies. As the moon rises and the air turns nippy, it’s no fun having to cover up your pretty dress with a cardigan or jacket, and yet goose bumps aren’t exactly the perfect party accessory either. And so at times like these, a graceful wisp of a shawl comes in awfully handy!

Whisper Wrap | Purl Soho

The Whisper Wrap falls like a breath of golden light, a bit diaphanous and a whole lot elegant. A simple chevron lace pattern gives it a spare structure that’s at home with any outfit, from your little black dress to your wedding dress!

Whisper Wrap | Purl Soho

For a beautiful shine and a unique story, I knit the Whisper Wrap with Anzula’s Mermaid. It combines traditional silk with a newfangled seaweed-based fiber called Seacell, straight from the ocean’s floor. Durable, insulating, super soft and absolutely gorgeous, it’s quite an invention!

Whisper Wrap | Purl Soho

For all of this season’s weddings and outdoor get togethers, your very own Whisper Wrap is the perfect companion!

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoWisperWrap. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Whisper Wrap | Purl Soho
  • 2-3 skeins of Anzula’s Mermaid, 60% Sea Cell, 40% Silk. Each skein is 670 yards; approximately 2,000 yards required. This color is Maple.
  • A US 3 (3.25 mm), 24 or 32 inch circular needle
  • Small stitch markers

Gauge

32 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, unblocked

31 stitches = 4 inches in pattern stitch, unblocked

Size

Unblocked Dimensions: 62 inches x 19 inches

Blocked Dimensions: 72 inches x 20 inches

Note

This pattern is knit on a multiple of 47 plus 11 stitches. Make sure also that the multiple is an even number. For example, 481 works because  47 x 10 (the multiple) = 470 and 470 + 11 = 481, and 10 is an even number. But 528 wouldn’t work because its multiple (11) is odd: 47 x 11 (the multiple) = 517 and 517 + 11 = 528. Keep in mind that if you decide to cast on a different number than I did, you will be working over a different number of repeats.

Pattern

Cast on 481 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On. (Tip: When I cast on this many stitches, I place a stitch marker every 50 stitches. That way, when [not if] I lose track, I’ll never have to count more than 50 stitches. You can remove the markers as you knit the first row.)

Knit 7 rows.

Row 1 (right side): K5, (k43, place marker, [k2tog, yo] 2 times) 5 times, k1, (place marker, [yo, ssk] 2 times, k43) 5 times, k5.

Row 2 (wrong side): K5, purl to last 5 stitches, k5.

Row 3: *Knit to 1 stitch before next marker, slip stitch to right needle, remove marker, slip stitch back to left needle, place marker on right needle, [k2tog, yo] 2 times, repeat from * 4 more times, **knit to next marker, remove marker, k1, place marker on right needle, [yo, ssk] 2 times, repeat from ** 4 more times, knit to end.

+Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until, on the right side, 5 stitches remain before the first marker. Finish the right side row and knit one more Row 2.

Next Row (right side): K5, remove marker, k1, k2tog, yo, *knit to 1 stitch before next marker, slip stitch to right needle, remove marker, slip stitch back to left needle, place marker on right needle, [k2tog, yo] 2 times, repeat from * 3 more times, **knit to next marker, remove marker, k1, place marker on right needle, [yo, ssk] 2 times, repeat from ** 3 more times, knit to last marker, remove marker, k1, yo, ssk, k6.

Next Row (wrong side): Repeat Row 2.

Next Row: K5, k2tog, yo, *knit to 1 stitch before next marker, slip stitch to right needle, remove marker, slip stitch back to left needle, place marker on right needle, [k2tog, yo] 2 times, repeat from * 3 more times, **knit to next marker, remove marker, k1, place marker on right needle, [yo, ssk] 2 times, repeat from ** 3 more times, knit to last 7 stitches, yo, ssk, k5.

Next Row: Repeat Row 2.

Next Row: *Knit to 1 stitch before next marker, slip stitch to right needle, remove marker, slip stitch back to left needle, place marker on right needle, [k2tog, yo] 2 times, repeat from * 3 more times, **knit to next marker, remove marker, k1, place marker on right needle, [yo, ssk] 2 times, repeat from ** 3 more times, knit to end.++

Next Row: Repeat Row 2.

Next Row: *Knit to 1 stitch before next marker, slip stitch to right needle, remove marker, slip stitch back to left needle, place marker on right needle, [k2tog, yo] 2 times, repeat from * 3 more times, k43, place marker, [k2tog, yo] 2 times, k1, place marker, [yo, ssk] 2 times, **knit to next marker, remove marker, k1, place marker on right needle, [yo, ssk] 2 times, repeat from ** 3 more times, knit to end.

Repeat from + to ++.

Knit 7 rows.

Bind off on the right side in knit. If you have a needle one size larger than the one you’ve been knitting with, use it to bind off. Otherwise, just be sure to bind off loosely.

Weave in your ends and gently block your shawl. All done!