Evil Queen Shawl Stitch Tutorial

The Evil Queen Shawl uses a stitch that may seem a little tricky when you first read through the instructions. Like most things in knitting, though, the maneuvers aren’t difficult at all once you understand what to do.

Working the Honeybee Stitch pattern

This stitch pattern is a variation of the Honeybee Stitch and is worked over a six-row repeat. When working on this pattern, you’ll want to be able to pay attention as there are decreases and yarnovers on both right and wrong sides. The fiddly bits are all in Row 6. After a few plain stitches, you drop the yarnovers from the previous row.

Then, use the backward-loop cast-on to add 4 new stitches. First, twist a loop into the working yarn:

That loop is placed onto the right needle:

Tighten it a bit, but not too much (Future You will be happy when she knits the next row).

Repeat three more times. Here are the 4 new stitches:

Now we return our attention to those loose strands from the dropped yarnovers. Gather them, making sure you have all 5.

Bring the working yarn forward between the needles, then bring the tip of the right needle under all 5 strands, from back to front:

Wrap the working yarn around the needle purlwise:

Then duck back under the 5 strands and to the back of the work:

Snug the new stitch up closer to the 4 cast-on stitches:

Pause a moment to admire your work.

Now, back to business: cast on 4 more stitches with that same backward-loop cast-on.

Then it’s back to a regular purl stitch, followed by a knit.

To see what you’ve done, turn the work around so you’re looking at the right side.

Here are a few other pointers to keep in mind:

• The stitch count of the pattern changes from row to row. Try to count your stitches only after Row 6, where there are no remaining yarnovers.
• Due to the nature of Cabrito, with its fuzzy halo, it may be difficult to see where the true stitch is. If possible, use a needle that contrasts strongly with the yarn colorway.
• Be aware that the shape of the shawl is unusual. The outer (bound-off) edge is a smooth curve as in a crescent, where the inner curve is punctuated in the center as in a gull-wing shape or widow’s peak hairline.

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