Beach Wrap in Vivo
Last month we shared our Beach Wrap made with Berroco Vivo in the blues (3533 & 3541), my good friend Rosie whipped one up in another colour combo, and it was so pretty (patting myself on the back) that I thought it should be shared! Rosie wanted an easy, quick wrap for warm weather and used colours 3547 & 3525. I love the bright colours, they’re so Miami Vice!
SEE OUR ORIGINAL BEACH WRAP IN VIVO
The Beach Wrap always makes a great project to use for experimenting with yarns and colours. Last year we tried combining two colours of the same yarn and it turned out really beautifully (you can see that project HERE), so we tired it again and it worked … again! I held two strands of complementary colourways of Berroco Vivo together, and just let them do their thing. You can also try holding two strands of the same colour but starting at different parts of the colourway.
The Project
The Beach Wrap has been a super popular project since its debut, and it makes a great canvas to paint on. It was created with accessibility in mind – I wanted it to be simple to knit, and incredibly wearable. The simple welted texture is random, completely reversible, and creates a classic, timeless look. The pattern is knitted on the bias, increasing in width as you go, so you can make it any size you like and you never have to worry about running out of yarn. To keep the texture looking random the pattern repeat is a log one, so I wrote the pattern with a line-by-line chart to help you keep track of your rows (a beneficial thing for everyone, but especially helpful for people with learning disabilities, brain fog, mommy brain, long COVID brain, messy brain, hectic brain, etc). And the final bonus – it’s a relatively fast knit on 5.5mm/US10 needles (think quick gift)!
If you prefer a rectangular wrap experience and a shape that you can have more control over, you can also try out this yarn combo in our Cottage Wrap.
Notes
- On our version we did five full pattern repeats. Our goal was to work until we ran out of yarn, which we did.
- When you choose your yarn, try to choose skeins that start at or around the same point in the colourway – this can help keep your colour distribution more consistent throughout the shawl. This isn’t crucial, just helpful.
- When you start your project note whether you are taking the yarn from the inside or the outside of the skein, so you can do the same with the second ball.
- Because the yarn is 100% cotton, you can play around with the tension and use larger needles for a looser knit. You can also really give it a good stretch when blocking.
Size
The Beach Wrap is a big, cozy shawl, but if you want yours HUGE, like a gigantic hug or a massive towel, then you should get an extra ball of yarn in each colour.
- 100”/250cm long (from tip to tip)
- 22”/55cm deep (at longest point)
Materials
- Berroco Vivo: 4 skeins (2 in each of 2 colours: shown in 3533 & 3541).
- 5.5mm/US9-29” circular needles (if you are a tighter knitter go up to a 6mm/US10 needle or larger if you are very tight)
- FREE Pattern
Notions
- Locking stitch markers (optional)
- Tapestry needle
- Row Counter (optional but useful)
- Blocking materials: wires, pins, and mats (optional but useful if you want to really stretch the fabric)
Notes on Combining Colours
To take some of the uncertainty out of deciding which other colourways compliment each other I lined them up in the natural light and gave them a very strong eye-balling …. the colour combinations are all Haley approved. A few insights about combining colours:.
- To tone down a colour, hold it with another colour that’s darker or more muted. Our Blue wrap used one colour that’s bright and one that is darker and a bit more sedate.
- Two bright colours will usually make each other pop! Rosie’s Beach Wrap used two colourwyas that are equally bright.
- If you don’t love the way the colours are combining or pooling you can apply some creative license and break the yarn and skip ahead in the colour way.
- No two projects will be the same
