Lena’s Diamond Shawl – A Free Knitting Pattern from a Regency Spy Novel

In my book, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7: Spinster, my heroine Lena is recovering from sickness and uses her favorite shawl to keep warm.

🧵 Click here to download the FREE PDF of the pattern.

Here’s the short excerpt from the book that mentions the shawl:

📖 Excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7: Spinster

Lena still felt a chill as she sat in the sunlight streaming through the window of the Viponds’ drawing room. She was swathed in her favorite lace shawl, a gift from Melinda, who had knit it in Lena’s favorite color, red, along with cream and pink stripes.

Tabitha finished pouring the tea and handed her a cup. Lena tried to smile as she took it, but her face felt stiff, like hardened clay.

She was an utter failure. Despite all her training as an agent, she’d been undone by a malicious woman and a locked balcony in the rain.

Had she given up too quickly? She’d been deterred by the railing, believing it would have broken under her weight. She had also been shivering too much to be certain of her physical prowess if she had tried to climb over the railing and drop to the ground, or to jump to the other balcony. But she’d chosen to wrestle with the door hinges rather than attempt the more dangerous option, and so the cold had seeped into her through the rain, weakening her muscles.

She only barely remembered Mr. Vipond leaping to her balcony in order to wrap her in his coat. She didn’t know how he had managed when the railing had been so unstable, but he had done it somehow.

It made Lena wonder if she should have tried harder to climb over and drop down. Or maybe her chilled hands would have faltered and she would have fallen and broken an ankle.

She sipped her tea. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she should have done so that she wouldn’t have needed to be rescued like the silly heroines in those Gothic novels.

Despite being years younger than Lena, Tabitha regarded her with an “exasperated mother” look. “Your frustration is seeping out of you like a strong smell from a fish.”

Lena eyed her. “Are you implying I smell rotten?”

“Why do you look so upset with yourself?”

Lena sighed and stared into her teacup. “I inconvenienced everyone and needed to be saved. I feel quite mortified.”

“I do not understand why you are blaming yourself rather than that woman.”

Lena could have sworn that sparks flew out of Tabitha’s irritated gaze.

“I confronted her in my anger, but now I feel like a bully that has been thrashed.”

Tabitha glared at Lena. “You are not the bully. If you continue to spout such nonsense, I shall send you back to your bedroom forthwith.”

🧵 Shawl Construction

I had already picked out this Knit Picks curated bundle of red colorways because they matched Lena’s bold personality, and so I only needed to pick a stitch pattern for her shawl.

I used the Open Diamond pattern #19 from The Lady’s Assistant volume 1 by Jane Gaugain. The original edition was published in 1840, but you can get a free .pdf scan of the 1847 reprint edition here: https://archive.org/details/ladysassistantfo01gaug). The pattern is the same in both the 1840 and 1847 edition, but it is written for working in the round in the 1840 edition while the later reprints have it written for working back and forth on two needles, so I charted the pattern according to the 1847 edition. I also adjusted several of the decreases to give them directionality.

The shawl starts from one corner and increases, then continues for the straight section by increasing on one side while simultaneously decreasing on the other side of every other row. The shawl ends by decreasing on both sides back to a point.

There are five charts and you can adjust the size of the shawl by changing how many times you repeat the increase section of Chart B.

I used US 5 needles with the fingering weight yarn to make a warmer shawl. However, if you wanted a lighter, lacier shawl, I would suggest either lace weight yarn or using fingering weight yarn with US 6 or US 7 needles.

Yarn: Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering Weight (80% Superwash Fine Highland Wool, 20% Polyamide, 357 yards/100 grams), 1 skein each of Jupiter Speckle (color 1), Hayden (color 2), Picnic Kettle Dye (color 3), Volcano Kettle Dye (color 4), and Hood River Tonal Hand Painted (color 5). (These were colors in the Hawthorne Value Pack - Red Gradient.) I only used a total of 975 yards of yarn (273 grams).

Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)

Dimensions: 27” x 70” after blocking

Gauge: 4 stitches per inch (18 stitches in 4.5 inches) after blocking in lace pattern

Abbreviations:

k = knit

p = purl

YO = yarn over

k2tog = knit two together

p2tog = purl two together

kfb = knit into the front and back of the same stitch

ssk = slip, slip, knit

A = slip 1, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over

🧶 Pattern Instructions

Using color 1 (Jupiter Speckle), Work Chart A, the set-up section, once.

Work Chart B, the increase section, three times. (For reference, my entire increase section using color 1 (Jupiter Speckle) was about 200 yards.) Alternately, repeat Chart B until the shawl is the width you’d like.

Switch to color 2 (Hayden) and repeat Chart C, which is for the straight section, twice.

Switch to color 3 (Picnic Kettle Dye) and repeat Chart C twice.

Switch to color 4 (Volcano Kettle Dye) and repeat Chart C twice.

Switch to color 5 (Hood River Tonal Hand Painted) and repeat Chart D three times, until there are 35 stitches on the needle.

Work Chart E once, until the shawl decreases to a point.

Tie off and weave in ends.

Photography by Tyler Tang

📄 Want a printable version? Click here to download the FREE PDF of Lena’s Shawl.

📚 Where Knitting Meets Regency Suspense

My stories often include little nods to my love of knitting—like this shawl from Volume 7. If you’d like to start from the beginning and meet the characters (and their cozy accessories), grab Lissa and the Spy, a free prequel novella that’s full of Regency intrigue and heartfelt moments.

About the Book

A Christian Regency Romantic Suspense novella in the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series

In the opulent ballrooms of Regency-era London, Miss Lissa Gardinier struggles through her second Season with a singular goal: marriage to escape her mother's constant criticism. So she represses her cheeky remarks behind a quiet, innocent facade, but combined with her plain face, it only serves to make her uninteresting to potential suitors.

It is her very unpopularity that enables her to notice the enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude and set in motion a chance encounter. An overheard conversation and faux dialogue later, she finds herself entangled in Jeremy’s covert undertakings. Lissa resists the temptation to pry, finding delight in their mysterious friendship.

Yet the world Jeremy inhabits is one of secrets and subterfuge, and he cannot afford to be distracted by Lissa’s charming smile and unflappable demeanor. Lissa’s family dynamics grow increasingly complicated with a sister harboring her own desires for the eligible Lord Stoude, and a formidable rival—Lady Charline Halberstam—making her intentions clear.

As danger stalks them and true feelings come to light, can Lissa and Jeremy navigate the labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love?

Lissa and the Spy offers readers an intoxicating blend of romance, suspense, and wit, set against the glittering backdrop of Regency London. Perfect for those who love their historical fiction laced with a dash of intrigue and a sprinkle of humor.

Prequel to the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series

Click here to get Lissa and the Spy FREE!