Home Our Blog La Baule Shawl by Natalie Chautemps | Annual (issue 5) Pattern Previews

La Baule Shawl by Natalie Chautemps | Annual (issue 5) Pattern Previews

14/08/2025 Written by Hanna Lisa News

And just like that, we’re at our final pattern introduction for the Annual (issue five)! The pages of this Annual are inspired by ‘Seaside Kitsch’, our issue five theme. Think dips into the waves, summer days with wind in our hair, fish and chips wrapped up in a cosy shawl – which is where Natalie Chautemps’ fun and bright La Baule Shawl comes in! It’s perfect for those moments when you need a little something to keep you warm on a long beach day. The Annual (issue five) will be available for preorder mid August.

Meet: The La Baule Shawl by Natalie Chautemps

Natalie Chautemps’ La Baule Shawl is inspired by the French seaside resort of the same name. Situated in northwest France, it owes its fame to its very own beach which, at 9km long, is one of the longest in Europe.

Natalie combined playful garter stitch stripes with a soothing moss stitch texture reminiscent of sand – both guaranteed to make for delightful knitting and wearing! Plus: A fantastic chance to pick your favourite colours from one of DK yarns – we used both the punchy bright colours of Knit by Numbers DK as well as the muted heathered tones of Appledore DK to show you how it can look like in different combinations.

Left to right:

Appledore DK in Hoary Morning (MC), Dufflin (CC1), Slack Ma Girdle (CC2) and Billy Down Pippin (CC3)
Knit by Numbers DK in KBN115 (MC), KBN100 (CC1), KBN13 (CC2) and KBN38 (CC3)

For the Annual (issue five), we thought it’d be fun to introduce you to our designers and patterns one by one, and ask them a few questions about the inspiration behind the design, what they liked about the yarn they worked with, and their favourite beach memory. Without further ado – meet Natalie Chautemps, the designer of the La Baule Shawl!

Hi Natalie! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s start with the idea of your submission for the Annual (issue five):

What’s the main inspiration behind your La Baule Shawl?

To create this shawl, I first wanted to respect the request: accessories evoking the coastline. I spent a lot of time looking at the moodboard. I quickly came up with the idea of taking inspiration from two elements that make up the coastline: the beach, both still and joyful, and the sea, elusive in its shape and movement.

The stripes are inspired by the seaside world: sailor jumpers, parasols, bathing cabins, etc. The choice of a shawl and the construction of opposing triangles evoke boat sails and movement.

What’s your favourite element of the design?

The design is knit in 3 triangles, each with its own particular knitting sense. For each patern I create, I like to set myself a challenge that allows me to progress in my knitting and also to explore the creative and aesthetic possibilities of a pattern.

What makes our Knit by Numbers DK and your La Baule Shawl such a great combination?

Thanks to the very rich palette of KBN yarn, the La Baule shawl can be knitted in infinite variations and I like the idea that knitters can make the pattern their own to create a personalised object. And this yarn gives a very good stitch definition and is perfectly suited to the shawl that I’ve designed as a very structured design with strong lines and patterns.

What’s your favourite beach memory?

I have a lot of memories of the beach! They go back to my childhood, when my maternal grandfather had a family house by the sea (in a small village near La Baule). Every summer, my brother and sisters and I would spend a few days there. At the time, there were very few people there, the beach was 50 metres from the house, the area was very quiet and it was a family beach where the same families always gathered; we spent our days there making sandcastles, swimming, fishing for prawns in the rocky holes and playing with the other children. We were often there without adults, with the older children looking after the younger ones. For me, the beach is associated with a place of freedom, carefreeness and happiness, away from the world.

Thank you so much, Natalie, for taking the time to answer our questions! You can find more about Natalie over on Instagram and Ravelry.

The Annual (issue five) will be available for preorder mid August. Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for more pattern intros, and on our newsletter for the preorder release!