Other People’s Houses Shawl pattern / RALKAL Kickoff!!

It’s time to knit along with your fellow yarn loving bibliophiles! You can finally see a full view of the Other People’s Houses Shawl (above), crack open or press play on your copies of The Smell of Other People’s Houses, and tuck in for the first Read Along Knit Along on Hands Occupied. Who’s excited?

How this is going to work

To recap, between now and October 31, we’ll be reading The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock and knitting the free pattern (found below!) for the Other People’s Houses Shawl by yours truly. Whether that’s alternating between reading a physical copy of the book or listening to it on audiobook while knitting at the same time, the timeline runs today through the end of the month.

We’ll be discussing the book in the Hands Occupied Ravelry Group throughout the knit along, and I’ll be in the group daily to chat and see what you think. Pacing-wise, this book is a fast read, but I’ve made threads for each section of the book. The book’s sections are designated by season, so there are threads for spring, summer, fall and winter. This will help us chat about the book freely, even if we’re not all finished with the whole book.

Prizes!

Other than, you know, the joy of reading and knitting a free pattern, on to additional fun stuff! As I mentioned in the announcement post, there are going to be some prizes for this knit along. :) I’ve got a couple skeins of yarn from Louet North America (the yarn I designed this pattern with!), some lotion bars for keeping your hands soft during marathon knit sessions, and more prizes to be announced soon! By joining or already being a member of the Hands Occupied Ravelry Group, you’re eligible to enter the raffle, and you’ll be able to get two more chances to win: one for finishing your shawl by October 31, and one for finishing the book on time too. The pattern is a real relaxer of a knit, and the book is pretty quick. With winter holidays looming, I wanted to make sure the first RALKAL was easy and no stress! :)

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Other People’s Houses Shawl pattern

Supplies

two 100g balls of Louet Gems Euroflax Sport yarn in your choice of color (pictured is Cloud Grey)
1 pair of 40 inch US 3 circular knitting needles
tapestry needle (to weave in ends)
scissors
stitch markers

Abbreviations

CO – cast on
sts – stitches
(X sts) – X indicates the number of sts there should be in a given row
yo – yarn over
sl – slip
wyif – with yarn in front
k – knit
pm – place marker
tbl – through the back loop
WS – wrong side
m – marker
RS – right side
rpt [ to ] or rpt { to } – repeat the stitches listed in between the brackets [ ] or braces {}
yo’s – yarn overs (plural)
m’s – markers (plural)
BO – bind off

Gauge & dimensions: 4 rows & 5 sts per inch in garter stitch.
24 inches from top center (cast on point) to center tip of the triangle. Approx. 55 inches wide.

Garter Tab
CO 2 sts, knit 6 rows, pick up 5 sts along long side and CO side of tab (7 sts).

Shawl Setup Section

1. sl 1 wyif, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, k1 tbl. (11 sts)
2. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k to last m, yo, sl m, k1 k1 tbl.
3. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
Repeat 2-3 until there are 31 sts.

Drop stitch section one

1. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, [k4, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo, k4], yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt [ to ], yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
2. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k across to last m dropping all yo’s in the [ to ] section only and sl m’s as you go, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
3. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (Same as row 3 the from the setup section above.)
4. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k across to last m, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
Repeat 3-4. (49 sts)
Repeat 3-4 again. (55 sts)

5. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, {[k5, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo], rpt [ to ] to last 5 sts before m, k5}, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt { to }, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (59 sts)
Repeat 2-4. (67 sts)
Repeat 3-4 until there are 85 sts.

Drop stitch section two/body of shawl

6. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k5, [k5, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo], rpt [ to ] to 5 sts before m, k5, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt [ to ] to 10 sts before m, k 10, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (89 sts)
Repeat 2-4. (97 sts)
Repeat 3-4 three times. (115 sts)

7. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k10, [k5, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo], rpt [ to ] to 5 sts before m, k5, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt [ to ] to 15 sts before m, k 15, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (119 sts)
Repeat 2-4. (127 sts)
Repeat 3-4 three times. (145 sts)

Continue working drop stitch section two (a.k.a. rows 6, 2, 3, 4, then 3-4 three times. 7, 2, 3, 4, then 3-4 three times.) until there are 385 sts (a.k.a. work the drop stitch section 5 total times) or you run out of yarn. Leave enough yarn to bind off.

Finishing
BO all sts and weave in ends. Wet block to finish.

Note: If you’re using a linen yarn like the one the shawl was designed in, you’ll definitely notice a softening of the feel of the yarn and relaxing of its look once you block it!

Any questions? Holler in the comments. Throughout the RALKAL, I’ll be posting tutorials for techniques featured in the shawl, so if you find yourself stumped, let me know. I might just have a video planned to help you out!

Disclaimer: If you find what you believe is a typo, please let me know! This is a free pattern and I do my best to edit and proofread, but as a human, I’m imperfect. Not only am I capable of mistakes, I also have feelings. Just let me know what you believe is up, and I’ll look into it asap. :)

Giveaway prizes provided by Louet & SkeinsintheStacks. Opinions are my own.