Tokyo Bubbles is a light scarf or shawl in garter stitch with circles of drop stitch mesh. The garter stitch base adds a mossy texture and a degree of irregularity; the mesh pattern expands and contracts with the weight of the fabric when the shawl is draped or worn. Leaving the sample unblocked preserves the mossy softness.
The knitted texture and the colors in the yarn remind me of handmade Japanese textiles. The Zauberball yarn provides a succession of constantly evolving indigo variations.
This is a quick & easy knit. It's a simpler version of my Camino Bubbles pattern, with a shorter repeat and lots of rows of plain knitting.
Knit on 5mm/US8 needles with one ball, 100g/420m/460yds of Zauberball Crazy, Colorway 2099 “Pause in Blau”.
Dimensions: approximately 135cm/53in x 48cm/19in
Gauge: approximately 17 stitches & 17 rows = 10cm/4in in drop stitch bubble pattern
The pdf contains a written pattern with notes on the drop stitch technique, instructions for a version knit with Schoppel-Wolle Edition 6 and a longer version of the pattern using two or three balls of Zauberball Crazy yarn, images of the shawl, and some photos from a trip to Japan in 2007.
Tokyo Bubbles is also available as part of the knit/lab Easy Patterns eBook.
$7.00
Left and below: a version of Tokyo Bubbles knit on 3mm needles with 3 balls of Schoppel-Wolle Edition 6, used in this order: 2515 Geruchtekuche, 2511 All Inclusiv, 2513 Gastgeschenk.
Dimensions: approximately 168cm x 63cm
Gauge: approximately 20 stitches & 24 rows = 10cm/4in in drop stitch bubble pattern
Below: a swatch of Tokyo Bubbles made with 70g/320m/350yds of Zauberball Crazy, Colorway 1564 “Frische Fische” worked over 125 stitches on 3.5mm/US4 needles and blocked.
Dimensions of swatch after blocking: approximately 56cm/22in long x 60cm/23.5in wide.
A full project will require two or three balls of yarn. Two balls 800m/880yds will give a length of 160cm/63ins with a CO of 125sts, or a longer narrower project with 101sts; three balls will give a length of up to 240cm/94ins with 125sts.