We went hunting for beauties and snagged a lovely one!

From Liz of Apple Tree Knits comes this stunning piece of glory, called Basilica. This is a wonderful shawl, deisgned on a half-circle, from lace weight yarn and glowing 6/0 beads.

Wooomph!

Here is how Liz describes it:

" Like an old gothic cathedral, this shawl is designed to be at once geometric and organic, imposing and inviting. The half-pi construction is simple to execute and sits beautifully on the shoulders, while the stitch pattern changes keep the knitting interesting.

"This pattern looks best in a yarn with some drape, such as those with a high silk, rayon/bamboo, or alpaca content."

I love it.

What is needed yarn-wise is 520 yds (475 m) lace-weight. The shawl that is shown in the photos here was made using Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace in Navy Pier; 50% silk 50% wool, two-ply, 1250 yds (1143 m)/ 4 oz (113 g).

This original used US size #6 (4 mm) needles, -- you need the size to obtain desired fabric (gauge is not crucial to the project but it should feel and look right); 20 in circular needles (or longer) is recommended to hold all the stitches comfortable.

You will also need a very thin crochet hook or dental floss (for applying beads). The shawl uses 1350 beads (shown with size 6/0 – though the 4mm megatamas and others of like size will also look wonderful).

The finished size (for the one shown here) is 55 in (140 cm) by 21 in (53 cm).

Note that this pattern is presented in written form only for the first portion of the shawl, and in both written and charted formats for the lace sections of the shawl. Both formats contain instructions for bead placement, which is optional (or have fun creating your own bead placement!).

Very brief instructions for how beads are applied are contained in the pattern; a video tutorial for applying beads with the crochet hook method can be found on the Apple Tree Knits website.

This pattern requires standard lace decreases, and may be suitable for a very confident beginner.

*****

You might also like to check out the beautiful Gradiance version of Basilica which we have kitted -- Cindersall did hers using 8/0 beads and I think it looks marvelous. It is also shown in the last photo on this page.

Looks gorgeous, doesn't it?

We have some great yarns for this in our Lace Weight Yarn Section. The ones that come quickly to mind are the Pura Bella lace weight yarns for this, as well as Eos, the lovely Ling Gradiance sets, and the Zen Yarn Garden's Serenity Lace (there are undoubtedly a few others I've forgotten).

Create-your-own-kit (as described above) and have a fantastic time!