Back in 2012 (ha!), Jocelyn from Dubai Knits approached me about doing a pattern for one of her yarns. I was so excited to do this, and the yarn she sent me was just gorgeous. She sent me two different colors of yarn that coordinated beautifully so I started working on ideas for a two-colored shawl. I initially was thinking of doing a shawl with mosaic knitting, but everything I swatched out just wasn't meeting my expectations. I put the design to the side for a bit while I thought things through.

I was playing around with some lace stitches, doing some charting and manipulating things around, when I hit on a combo I really liked. The main lace stitch is a delicate abstract floral design and the other is a very geometric, angled design. I put the floral pattern in one color and the geometric one in another, and Ritter was born.

As you can see from the pictures above, the contrast color is also used at the top of the shawl. Ritter is constructed from the top down, and I used the contrast color to cast on and work the set up rows for the body of the shawl. It's such a simple little thing to do, but I think it brings everything together beautifully.

Ritter is currently available as part of an exclusive kit from Dubai Knits. You will receive two colors of your choice of yarn and a hard copy of the pattern. You will also receive, at some point, a digital copy of the pattern through Ravelry. You really, really need to click through and look at the color combos Jocelyn has available. They're all really stunning.

Ritter

Yarn: Main color: 200 yards (183 m) fingering weight,
sample shown in Dubai Knits Faith, Hope and Love (50% merino/50% silk;
330 yards [301 m]/100g), Flaunt It!

Contrast color: 110 yards (101 m)
fingering weight, sample shown in Dubai Knits Faith, Hope and Love
(50% merino/50% silk; 330 yards [301 m]/100g), Prom Dress.

Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm), 40 inches or longer circular needles or size needed to achieve gauge.

Notions: Stitch markers (if desired), yarn needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge: 21 stitches and 32 rows/4 inches (10 cm) in
stockinette stitch after blocking. While gauge is not important as the
fit is not crucial, changes in gauge will result in size differences and
the amount of yarn needed to complete the project.

The pattern includes both written and charted instructions and instructions on how to alter the size of the shawl if you would like to make a larger (or smaller) shawl.

Go on. Go order a kit. The holidays are over. Go buy something nice for yourself!