About the craft
Let's Start Knitting Down Shawls!
The basics of knitting an Orenburg down shawl: knit stitches and yarn-overs, "shawl" (garter) stitch, how to knit the stitches and how they are shown on charts.
Before taking up the needles, let us sort out the terms. We will start with the types of stitches and their symbols.
"Shawl" or "speckled" stitch
Knitting Orenburg down shawls uses knit stitches and yarn-overs. Purl stitches are not used in Orenburg shawls : all stitches are always knitted, whatever the row. This knitting with knit stitches only is called "shawl" or "speckled" stitch. For beginners there is a unique service – "shawls to order"!
The openwork fabric of the shawl is created by combinations of yarn-overs. The traditional pattern elements of the Orenburg shawl are built on a yarn-over and one, two or three stitches knitted together: this produces an openwork hole in the fabric. The different ways of arranging such holes make up the treasury of Orenburg patterns.
How to knit the stitches and how they are shown on charts
Knit stitch. The tip of the right needle is inserted into the stitch on the left needle from left to right, away from you; the working yarn behind the needle is caught and pulled through towards you. On our charts, a knit stitch is shown as an empty square.
Two or more stitches knitted together. The right needle is inserted into two or more stitches on the left needle from left to right, away from you; the working yarn behind the needle is caught and the loop is pulled through towards you. Symbol – a diagonal line in a square.
Yarn-over. With the tip of the right needle, catch the working yarn from above, from right to left towards you. Hold the loop thrown over the needle with the index finger of your right hand and knit the next stitch. On the chart, a yarn-over is shown as a circle inside a square.
Good luck with your down knitting!
Whatever results you achieve, remember: a shawl, gossamer shawl, stole and many other down items can always be ordered from us. Buying in our online shop is not only a guarantee of quality but also a serious saving of effort and time: our craftswomen spend about a month on one handmade shawl. We offer a unique service – shawls to order: you can order any item you like, agreeing on the size, colour and pattern with the craftswomen.
Need help choosing?
Tell us who you are choosing an item for and what matters to you — warmth, lightness, size or pattern. We will suggest suitable options.
