The Shetland Hap Shawl

Meet designer Gudrun Johnston, a native of the Shetland Islands, and learn more about the history of Shetland haps, or square shawls. Gudrun discusses needle, yarn and color choices and gets you started with the shawl's two-stitch cast-on and garter-stitch center. Knit along with Gudrun on a mini-hap, cast on for the full hap or try the triangular half-hap.

Gudrun explains the hap's construction and shows how to make the decreases to turn your triangular center into a square. When you're back to two stitches on your needles, you'll count the yarn overs along your edges to make sure you're all set to knit the lace border.

With Gudrun's guidance, you'll pick up the yarn overs around the edges of your center on circular needles, then knit setup rounds for the "old shale" lace border, a type of feather-and-fan lace. Gudrun explains how to read the lace chart (written instructions for the lace are included in the pattern, too).