The Dotted Rays Shawl - A Pattern Review

I am quite proud of myself and dare I say very focused on my knit projects lately.  Last month I finished the Pressed Flowers Hat from Amy Christoffers and this month the Dotted Rays Shawl from Stephen West.

Stephen West is an American knitter, Designer and educator who has published several books on knitting and is also the co-owner of the yarn store Stephen & Penelope in Amsterdam.

I must admit I am a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to Stephen’s patterns. Truth be told, I was intimidated by his patterns and just saw myself surrounded by knotted balls of yarn and me crying in the corner.

One day that changed and I decided to give his Bone Yard shawl a whirl. Knitting this shawl was very enjoyable and was a great warm up for his other patterns.

So on I went to the Dotted Rays Shawl. The start was a bit nail biting as the pattern called for techniques that were quite new to me. However, Stephen’s YouTube tutorials really helped with that.

The shawl starts with only a few stitches and gradually grows into an asymmetric crescent like form. In terms of techniques required, this pattern calls for garter stitch and short rows, which combined create a beautiful ray of light like effect in the fabric of the shawl. When casting off, this shawl calls for an i-cord bind off which gives a beautiful stretchy finishing touch.

What I really liked about this pattern is that the shawl is designed for several yarn weight options. I also really liked the fact that the shawl can either be knit as a small or large crescent. I chose the large size and used a sock weight yarn.

What I found difficult about knitting this shawl was following the steps of the pattern. Because of the way the stitches were noted, it was very easy to over see a stitch, which often left me ripping back the shawl several times in its beginning stages. This in no way makes the pattern a bad one. I just think the style in which the pattern was written, was something that I really had to get use to.

Finally, this pattern has a beautiful aesthetic and can be worn in so many different variation. I am really glad a I knit it and love wearing it in all sorts of variations!

Knit Level: Novice/Intermediate.

Grade: B+