Can you believe it?
Clue 1 of the 2025 Mystery Knit-along is here, and we’re diving into the creation of the stunning Burren Shawl. Inspired by the delicate beauty of Ireland’s Burren landscape, this shawl combines elegant cables with delicate fingering weight yarn to create a shawl that's elegant and warm.
Clue 1 Overview
We’re starting this shawl from the very tip of its triangular shape with just a few stitches. Then we’ll gradually increase along the edges to form the bottom triangle of the shawl. This section introduces two key elements:
- Reverse Stockinette Stitch: A simple yet elegant backdrop for our cables.
- Cables 1 and 2: The heart of the design, these cables bring depth and texture as they emerge seamlessly from the fabric.
As the edges grow, yarnovers will create a line of open stitches along each edge —don’t worry, these will become essential for the edging later on.
As the main body of the shawl (behind the cables) will be in reverse stockinette stitch we will be working our yarnover increases on the wrong side where they will leave a line of open yarnovers along each edge.
These holes will later be used to pick up our edging.
Just before the first cable we’ll work a large increase so that we can make the cable
appear seamlessly from nowhere. Then we’ll work Cable 1 which will introduce our
first cable. When this is complete the central cable will be worked as Cable 2,
working two repeats. The outer two columns of knit stitches (moving outwards) on each side will continue to work up the edges along the full shawl.
Clue 1 Tips for Success
Here are some tips for working clue 1 of the Burren shawl:
Managing Increases:
You may notice small holes near the increases below Cable 1. These will likely disappear as the cable progresses, but if you’d prefer, try this alternative increase technique: Increase 1 into 3. We need 4 increases in total so you'll have to modify a little.
Counting Yarnovers:
Yarnovers along the edges are critical for shaping. Count your stitches regularly to ensure you’re on track. If you miss one, lift the bar between stitches and knit into it to fix it on the next row.
As you are working the shawl make sure that you don’t miss any yarnovers, when it forms a line along the edge it can be very obvious when it’s missing.
I counted stitches on each side between the cables as I worked to ensure that I was staying on track with my increases. If you find that you missed a yarnover on a previous row just lift up the bar between the stitches and knit into it to create a yarnover.
Focus on the First Cable:
Once the first Cable is complete, you’ll be working the columns of knit stitches at each side up the shawl and we will introduce a new cable (Cable 2) in the centre of the shawl. It is a good idea to keep the size of this clue as written, there are a few more opportunities further on to enlarge the shawl.
Live on YouTube
If you have any questions about clue 1 of our Burren Shawl or you'd like to join us for a clue 1 chat you'll find us live on YouTube!
Date: February 20th at 4.30 pm.
Where: YouTube Channel Link
Replay Available: Can’t make it live? Watch the replay at your convenience.
Don't forget to drop into Knithub to join the chat!
And if you'd like to join us for the 2025 MKAL just click here.
Wishing you all the best for clue 1 of the MKAL!
