Title: Casablanca Triangle
Fandom: Casablanca
Rating: G
Content notes: none
Summary: I designed and knit a triangular shawlette inspired by the famous love triangle in my favorite movie—Casablanca.



INTRODUCTION
During World War II, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) walks back into the life of her former lover, nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). She and her husband, resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) need letters of transit to escape Casablanca, and Rick has such letters in his possession.

Ilsa is represented in the top of the shawlette by musical notes, for the famous song “As Time Goes By,” which she requests early on in the movie. On the right side of the shawlette, an envelope motif represents Rick, for the letters of transit he must decide how to use. On the left side of the shawlette, a Cross of Lorraine, symbol of the Free French, represents Victor, because of his efforts in the resistance. (He’s actually part of the Czech Resistance, but the Czechs didn’t have any obvious motif that I could find.)

Finally, the shawl is knit in charcoal gray, because part of Casablanca’s charm is its beautiful black-and-white cinematography.



PATTERN
Finished size:
33” wide; 17” long at the point. Note that this is somewhat small even for a shawlette; however, it can easily be expanded as long as you have more yarn.

Supplies:
50g (230 yds) skein of fingering weight sock yarn (I used Serenity Sock Weight, only $3 on sale from JoAnn’s.)
Size 2 US / 2.75 mm knitting needles (I used circulars, but straights will work as well.)
7 stitch markers: 4 “rectangle markers”, 2 “border markers” and 1 “center marker”. I suggest paperclips in 3 different colors, or loops of crochet or sewing thread.

Gauge:
35 rows and 26 sts = 4” in stockinette stitch
Unless you’re cutting it really close on yardage, don’t worry about getting gauge exactly. Just use a needle size that makes you happy with the drape of the fabric you’re creating.Abbreviations used:
co: cast on
k: knit
p: purl
rs: right side of work
sbm: slip border marker
scm: slip center marker
srm: slip rectangle marker
st(s): stitch(es)
ws: wrong side of work
w&t: wrap and turn – with yarn held behind work, slip next stitch to right needle, move yarn to front of work, slip stitch back to left needle. This marks the end of a short row, so turn your knitting around in preparation to work back in the opposite direction.
yo: yarn over

Shawlette:
CO 21 sts provisionally, by crocheting a 23-st-long chain and picking up stitches in the back of the middle 21 sts. Be sure to leave a tail at least 18” long.
Row 1 (RS): k10, place border marker, yo, place center marker, k1, yo, place border marker, k10
Row 2: k10, sbm, p1, k1, scm, p1, sbm, k10
Row 3: Work row 1 of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, k1, yo, scm, k1, yo, k1, yo, sbm, work row 1 of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 4 (WS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart B, sbm, p to 1 st before center marker, k1, scm, p to border marker, sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart A.
Row 5 (RS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, k to center marker, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart B.
Rows 6–21: Repeat rows 4 and 5 eight more times. (There will be 21 sts between first border marker and center marker.)
Row 22: Repeat row 4. (63 sts on needles; 1st repeat of Ilsa Charts completed.)
Row 23 (RS): Work row 1 of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, work row 1 of Victor Chart, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work row 1 of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 24: Repeat row 4.
Row 25: Work row 3 of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, work row 3 of Victor Chart, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work row 3 of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 26: Repeat row 4.
Row 27: Work row 5 of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, place rectangle marker, work row 5 of Victor Chart, place rectangle marker, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work row 5 of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 28 (WS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart B, sbm, p to 1 st before center marker, k1, scm, p to border marker (slipping both rectangle markers as you reach them), sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart A.
Row 29 (RS) Work next row of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, k to rectangle marker, srm, work next row of Victor Chart, srm, k to center marker, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work next trow of Ilsa Chart B.
Rows 30–37: Repeat rows 28 and 29 four more times. Row 15 of Victor Chart is completed.
Row 38: Repeat row 28. (95 sts on needles.)
Row 39: Work row 17 of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, knit to rectangle marker, srm, work row 17 of Victor Chart, srm, knit to center marker, yo, scm, k1, yo, k6, place rectangle marker, work first row (which is numbered as “row 17”) of Rick Chart, place rectangle marker, k6, yo, sbm, work row 17 of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 40 (WS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart B, sbm, p to 1 st before center marker (slipping both rectangle markers as you reach them), k1, scm, p to border marker (slipping both rectangle markers as you reach them), sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart A.
Row 41 (RS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, k to rectangle marker, srm, work next row of Victor Chart, srm, k to center marker, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to rectangle marker, srm, work next row of Rick Chart, srm, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart B.
Rows 42–61: Repeat rows 40 and 41 ten more times, until final row of Rick Chart is worked.
Row 62: Work row 20 of Ilsa Chart B, sbm, p to 1 st before center marker (removing both rectangle markers as you reach them), k1, scm, p to border marker (slipping both rectangle markers as you reach them), sbm, work row 20 of Ilsa Chart A. (143 sts on needles.)
Row 63 (RS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, k to rectangle marker, srm, work next row of Victor Chart, srm, k to center marker, yo, scm, k1, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 64 (WS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart B, sbm, p to 1 st before center marker, k1, scm, p to border marker (slipping both rectangle markers as you reach them), sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart A.
Rows 65–84: Repeat rows 63 and 64 ten more times, until last row of Victor Chart is worked. Remove rectangle markers on last row.
Row 85 (RS): Work next row off Ilsa Chart A, sbm, yo, k to center marker, yo, scm, yo, k to border marker, yo, sbm, work next row of Ilsa Chart B.
Row 86 (WS): Work next row of Ilsa Chart B, sbm, p to 1 before center marker, k1, scm, p to border marker, work next row of Ilsa Chart A.
Rows 87–100: Repeat rows 85 and 86 seven more times, ending with row 18 of Ilsa Chart. (If you have enough yarn, this section can be extended as much as you wish to increase the size of the shawlette. Just make sure you finish somewhere in the plain garter portion of the Ilsa Chart.) Continue to first short-row corner.



First short-row corner:
Row 1 (RS): K8, w&t.
Row 2 (WS): K8.
Row 3 (RS): K6, w&t.
Row 4 (WS): K6.
Row 5 (RS): K4, w&t.
Row 6 (WS): K4.
Row 7 (RS): K2, w&t.
Row 8 (WS): K2.
Continue to Border setup row.

Border setup row:
K1, [yo, k2tog] 4 times, yo, k1, remove border marker, *yo, k2tog, repeat from * until 1 st before the center marker, yo, k1 (if you find yourself with an even number of sts for some reason, don’t panic, just work k2tog here instead), yo, scm (DO NOT remove), k1, yo, k1, **yo, k2tog, repeat from ** until you reach the border marker, remove border marker, yo, k2tog, k8. Continue to second short-row corner.

Second short-row corner:
Row 1 (WS): K6, k2tog, yo, w&t.
Row 2 (RS): K8.
Row 3 (WS): K4, k2tog, yo, w&t.
Row 4 (RS): K6.
Row 5 (WS): K2, k2tog, yo, w&t.
Row 6 (RS): K4.
Row 7 (WS): K2tog, yo, w&t.
Row 8 (RS): K2.
Continue to Garter Eyelet Border.

Garter Eyelet Border:
Row 1 (WS): K1, [k1, pick up and knit wrap together with the stitch it wraps] 4 times, k to end of row (slipping center marker when you reach it).
Row 2 (RS): K1, *yo, k2tog, repeat from * until 1 st before center marker, yo, k1, yo, scm, k1, **yo, k2tog, repeat from ** until 2 sts before end of row, [yo, k1] twice.
Row 3 (WS): K to end of row (slipping center marker when you reach it).
Rows 4–6: Repeat rows 2 and 3 once (or more if you want to and have enough yarn), then repeat row 2 again.
To bind off: *K2tog loosely, slip stitch from right needle back on to left needle, repeat from * until 1 st remains (removing center marker when you reach it). BE CAREFUL NOT TO BIND OFF TOO TIGHT. Cut yarn and pull through last st.

Finishing:
Pick up 21 sts from cast on onto a knitting needle, then unzip the crochet chain and discard. Split stitches onto two needles, ten stitches on one and eleven on the other, with the center line of the shawl at the split between needles. Fold shawl with right sides together, then use the cast-on tail to graft (Kitchener) the stitches together as if for stockinette. Work the first two stitches on the 11-st needle together as one.

Weave in tails. Dampen shawl and block.

How to graft stitches as if for stockinette:
There are lots of tutorials for grafting available if you just Google; but a quick explanation: hold the two needles next to each other. Either thread the tail onto a sewing needle or get a third knitting needle. If using a sewing needle, when you work a stitch, run the needle through the stitch purlwise or knitwise as applicable; if using a knitting needle; work the stitch as specified but then pull the tail all the way through.
*On the front needle: work first stitch purlwise and drop off the needle; work next stitch knitwise and leave on the needle.
On the back needle: work first stitch knitwise and drop off the needle; work next stich purlwise and leave on the needle.
Repeat from * until all stitches are grafted.

Charts: