Aes Sedai Shawl

So, I don’t know how many fantasy readers we have here, but I’ve always loved Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. They have finally turned it into a show on Amazon and I’m super excited for the premier!!!

There are a group of characters who wear shawls and stoles with the Aes Sedai symbol on it in the middle of the back (half a tear drop or half a ying yang minus the circle)

I’ve kept an eye out for knitting patterns but I usually just find projects that were made without a pattern. It’s a tricky pattern too since the teardrop isn’t the easiest thing to knit :slight_smile:

I’ve only done a couple shawls in general but I’ve decided to figure out the pattern because first of all, I’ve always wanted one, and second of all, I think with the show coming out, it might gain popularity and I will be able to share my pattern with others who want one!

My default way of adding a design into something is with duplicate stitches since I hate weaving in ends and I prefer stockinette stich anyway. The teardrop doesn’t necessarily have to be in a different color but I’ve never been much of a fan of solo designs being done in purls on a stockinette background. Maybe on a dishtowel, but not on a formal looking shawl - lace stitching is possible but I’m not that good at designing yet haha.

So feedback is welcome and definitely appreciated. If anyone is interested in following the progress or contributing, lemme know!

This is a picture of a plain material shawl that gives the gist of the concept (color is dependent on “ajah” or the group you’re in: green-battle, red-men haters, white-logic, brown-history/literature, yellow-healing, gray-politics, blue-world events, black-evil)

blue_ajah1

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You could work the design in intarsia and perhaps do the outline in duplicate stitch. I’m not a fan of large areas of duplicate stitch because it thickens and can stiffen the knit fabric.

Have you sketched out a graph for the design or do you have one ready-made?

There are some free yin yang intarsia patterns only e, h you seen gem? Wouldn’t be too hard to just change it to half.
It would be nice in some sort of patterned stitch, there are some lovely patterned hooded shawls.

Good luck, it will be interesting to see your progress.

So I’m currently making a basic shawl for a point of reference to work out how I want to do it.

I was thinking the same thing about using a yin yang pattern and just using half :slight_smile: If I could find a lace pattern for it, that would be preferred since, like salmonmac said, large areas of duplicate stitches makes it thick… plus it would be super messy in the back… I’ve found a couple patterns that could work but I might try to create my own…

With the increases in the shawl, it’s been entertaining to try to figure out how to put it in the middle since a lot of shawls have the center line for the middle increases.

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Could this help?

Or this for intarsia rather than duplicate stitch

Could you begin with more of a square shaped hooded poncho so that the back section is flat/square making it easier to line up the motif and then later you could continue to kight or pick it and knit to make the triangular shaped bottom you want?

There are some lovely crotchet lace yin yang patterns ( and larger dream catcher patterns), not sure if that would help. Maybe you could start with the motif and pick up and knit around it???

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Once I’m done with this mock shawl I’m making (almost done!) I’m going to check out the structure of the back and make some decisions… Once I’m done I’ll post what I’ve come up with and see what we can figure out! :smiley: Thanks for all the help btw!

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Looking forward to the photo of the finished shawl! Good luck with it.

So this is essentially the shawl style I would like to use (I can never decide which ajah I’m in but I love the colors green and brown together like this lol) (not blocked and end not woven yet, sorry!)

Considering the direction of the stitches, I was thinking about just incorporating that into the chart with duplicate stitches to get the actual design/chart/diagram figured out… but the direction of the stitches makes circular design even more difficult sigh

I need to consult with a pro at designing lace I think… I’ve only done a handful myself, and I would have to be way more practiced to incorporate the correct lace stitching to make the design I want…

Even if I tried the square poncho to make the design first, it wouldn’t translate the same on the triangle shawl… There is one crocheted Aes Sedai shawl that someone made - I’m wondering if I put a sort of square concept in the middle and made the increases on the sides of it, if I could still maintain the shape well enough…

20210927_170159 20210927_170031

I’ve also created a normal graph of the main design to be used… just gotta figure it out!!2021-09-27 (1)

Does the shawl have to be a triangle? Would a rectangular shawl work and make the design easier to place on the back?

This article offers some suggestions but not a plain pattern. You might have to work this one out yourself.

Love the beautiful shawl you posted.

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Well some members where shawls and some wear stoles … and I guess the main difference is rectangle versus triangle… so I’m just gonna have to figure it out!

That link you posted is actually SUPER helpful!!!