A shawl with sleeves. This design was born of a need to keep comfortable in an AC’d restaurant yet still have the flexibility to dine without the shawl falling off my shoulders.

Not a cardigan–it’s truly a top-down crescent shawl, and will still need to be adjusted a bit to wrap around the front and the shoulders (just wrap it, and then give it a slight tug from the back). But it will stay on your shoulders and keep your arms warm while maintaining the freedom of movement that a cardigan affords.

Construction is top-down, and begins with a modified garter tab CO that helps eliminate the “point” that often develops in top-down crescent shawls. After working in stst for a while, stitches for the sleeves are placed onto waste yarn, underarm sts are cast on, and the body of the shawl is worked to the (charted and written-out) lace hem. The sleeve sts are then placed onto double pointed needles and worked in the round to the cuff.

Sizing is flexible! It is based on your upper back/crossback width (see below) rather than bust size. People with a small upper back and shoulders (crossbacks smaller than 13”) will do best with size S, while those with mid-size shoulders and upper backs (crossbacks of 13-14.5”) will find more success with size M. The Large is sized for those with crossbacks measuring 14.5” and up. Note that the model is wearing size M (for the purple/burgundy sample) as although she measures to a 33” bust, she has broad shoulders and upper back (13.5” crossback) for her bust size. The dark/black sample is size S, and while it still fits her, it feels a bit tight across her back.

In general, if you’re waffling on size, go up. The armscye will hang lower than the next size down, but it’s a very flexible “fit”. It’s meant to have a loose, drapey feel, and as tempting as it is to think of it this way, it’s really not a cardigan. Wearing a S with broader shoulders will cause the shawl to actually pull off the shoulders more, so it’s generally better to size up.

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