Ultraviolet Knits – Betelgeuse Shawl

Niall Twamley photographed this beside “Immortality” by Tom Dalton. Covered in small mirror tiles, this tree resides in Fitzgerald Park in Cork City, Ireland. Some locals affectionately refer to it as ‘the disco tree’.

Betelgeuse Shawl

This single-skein bottom-up triangle shawl is knit flat. The nature of the construction also means it is flexible regarding yarn quantity and sizing – just use more yarn for a larger shawl. Named for one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye, Betelgeuse is the ninth-brightest star in the night sky and second-brightest in the constellation of Orion. The star itself is a distinct orange-red, much like this yarn when viewed under black light.

You can access a list of all the UV Knits posts HERE! Country Living featured three patterns this summer, which you can see here.

Pattern Sources

The individual pattern is available from LoveCrafts or you can buy the entire ebook on Ravelry. Scroll down for details on the print edition of the book.

The Yarn

This shawl makes the most of a single skein of 4ply/fingering/sock, but can also be continued to create a larger shawl. It was knit for the book in Qing Fibre SINGLES in Firaja. This one-skein shawl measures 70cm (h) x 129cm (w) when completed and blocked. You can use any skein of 4ply, the pattern will shine with semi-solids or wild skeins.

About Ultraviolet Knits

My latest book, Ultraviolet Knits: Twelve knitting patterns featuring UV-reactive hand-dyed wool (Anchor and Bee, 2020), was released at the end of March. This collection features 12 original accessory knitting patterns designed with black light-reactive hand-dyed wool-based yarns.This collection is inspired by the night’s sky, some from the view from Earth, such as star-gazing from a porch swing, while others pay homage to astronomy. Each of the 12 accessory patterns works well with bold, speckled, and vibrant yarns as well as semi-solid and neutrals, making the designs well suited for using those treasured skeins in your yarn collection. These accessory designs are excellent for travel knitting given their size. For festival-goers or everyday use, these finished objects are ones you’ll want to wear.

Where to Buy the Book

Individual patterns from Ultraviolet Knits are available on LoveCrafts and Ravelry.

If you wish to purchase the entire book, it is available as a digital download from Ravelry or in print from a range of bookstores and retailers. I’m including a partial list of online retailers selling the book, though you can likely provide your local independent bookshop with the ISBN and they can order it for you.