Category: Knitting projects

Knitting projects I have completed or have in progress. My thoughts and review of the pattern, yarn, and outcome. Also knitting project ideas to consider or find for free.

Fear No More, Knit a Shawl For Free With Help From the Designer

I have knit one shawl in my life and I finished it just about a week ago. Shawls are for old ladies, right?  I never considered knitting one, until I saw how beautiful shawl patterns are. Just do a search for hand-knit shawls and you will see what I mean!  They are colorful and fun and perfect for women (and men!) of any age.

Now all I regret is that I don’t live in a climate where shawls could be worn. Still, it will not stop me from mastering shawl-knitting.

My First Shawl Project

My one and only shawl project was the No Fuss Shade-loving Shawl which can be downloaded at Ravelry and is offered for free by Susan Ashcroft. Her directions were easy to follow and there was no weird garter tab cast on – which I have yet to figure out how to do.  See my finished shawl below.
I had some trouble choosing a yarn, and ended up trying 3 different ones! It came out a little small also. I should have continued for a few more rows.  But okay for a first try!

shawl
No Fuss Shade-Loving Shawl by Susan Ashcroft

The Spindrift Shawl is Free and Comes With Encouragement

When I saw the lovely Spindrift Shawl offered for free on Ravelry, I thought I was too late to get in on the action. Then I went to Curious Handmade site and there it was.. the offer to get this free pattern … on the right sidebar.  Go to either link to find the free pattern.  You will have to sign up to receive e-mails, but this designer has a beautiful selection of patterns and I won’t mind getting mail from her.

Helen, who runs the site, will send me the downloadable pattern and a welcome video.

As she says in her video, when she began shawl knitting she wished she’d had this type of help. It’s perfect timing for me, and I am grateful for the help even if Helen is a stranger who lives in England!  Thank you Helen.

knitting a shawl
Beginning the Spindrift Shawl

What a nice idea. Also, Helen has tons of gorgeous shawl patterns (and more) to purchase. I can’t wait for the time when I feel confident enough to buy a shawl pattern and create something intricate and beautiful myself.

Baby steps. For now I will try my hand at the Spindrift Shawl.  I have downloaded the pattern.  And I received the second e-mail, which was about choosing the yarn.

Here are the particulars:

Yarn:  Need 437 yards of fingering or sock yarn.

The crescent shaped shawl begins on a size 5 circular needle and switches to a size 6 and is worked from the top down.

The cast on is done using the backward loop method…and I chose a yarn I had purchased from Miss Babs.  It’s a “Wild Iris” which means “one of a kind” color.  I love the lavender, off-white and brown accents.

As you can see in my photo, I have begun knitting the shawl.

Two Free Triangle Shawl Knitting Patterns Perfect For Beginners

Beginners and advanced knitters alike enjoy knitting shawls. They come in many styles, shapes and sizes, but the ones on this page are simple to knit and may expand your knitting knowledge as well.

For those knitters who can knit and purl and easily do simple stitches (or are willing to learn), I’ve found two free shawl knitting patterns. One I have knit, the other I have not.

Continue reading “Two Free Triangle Shawl Knitting Patterns Perfect For Beginners”

June Knitting Projects Currently in the Works

Easy knitting projects in the works and on my needles in summer.

I have to keep track of what I am knitting so what better place than here on my blog. It may not be of much help to any readers, but maybe it will inspire someone to knit something.  I’m listing them in June, and certainly won’t be done with them in June!

No matter how hard I try, I can’t finish a project before I begin at least one, two or three more. I get bored easily so picking up the same knitting every time I get the urge to knit, won’t work.  So I end up with a number of things going on at once.  Most knitters are this way I imagine.

But, I tend to forget what pattern I am working on.   When I pick up something to work on, I have to scrounge around for the pattern to remind myself what I’m doing.  (The Ravelry site is a good place to do that too, if you don’t have a blog.)

Now I will be keeping my current projects listed here, and will update to show the finished products with notes, advice and whatever I’ve learned along the way.

I won’t begin any more projects until July (Says Who?)

Project 1:   Estrellita Blue Hat with sparkle yarn from Miss Babs -estrellita. I am making up this pattern as I go.  The yarn is pretty, but a bit stiff feeling- not as soft as I’d hoped.  It’s because of the sparkle I suppose.

knitting a blue hat
Ribbed hat in Estrellita sparkle yarn
knitting divider

Fingering yarn.
CO 120+1 = 120 total (use extra stitch to join only)
K2,P2 around and around for a fold up brim.  It seems small.  Might have to be for a young girl.
Next? Not sure what to do now. I may add stitches to make a slouch hat, or use bigger needles and add another yarn to blend with this one. I’ve never done either of those things, but I may try something new. This could get me into trouble.

Project 2: Spring Green Shawl in fingering yarn from Miss Babs – Katahdin, light fingering.  This is a huge ball of yarn with 1750 yards!  I paid $3 for them to wind it for me.  Totally worth it!

Diamond pattern spring green shawl
Diamond pattern spring green shawl

I keep messing up the diamond pattern design, but I don’t want to frog this item. I have already ripped back to a lifeline, and that wasn’t pretty either. Read My experience using a lifeline to see what happened.

I’m also using the i-cord edging to make neat edges.  This shawl will take a while to finish.

knitting divider

I’ve decided to just keep going even though the pattern is messed up in places. The shawl will either be for me or my daughter, and neither of us will inspect it too closely. She may never even notice the mistakes.

Project 3: African Gray rectangular shawl using the Terrace Wrap free pattern at Purl Soho.  Using the Dutch Knitting Stitch, which is simple, but this long, rectangular wrap will take a while to finish.  At first I wasn’t happy with the way it curled, but I will continue and hope it flattens when I block it.

Also, I will not have enough yarn of this color to finish, so will have to incorporate another color at some point.

Terrace wrap shawl in african gray
Terrace Wrap shawl in African Gray
knitting divider

Project 4:  White Hat & Scarf in “natural” Rasta yarn – which will be a gift.  This will probably be what I work on most.  Will be similar to the previous hat and scarf pattern in Arco Iris Rasta yarn.  I’ll be following the Churchmouse Fisherman’s Rib scarf free pattern, and making the hat similar to the one done in “Arco Iris” color.  This yarn is a already a favorite of mine.  It knits up quickly, and is so soft!

Malabrigo rasta yarn in natural color
Malabrigo “Rasta” bulky yarn in color “natural”

How to do the Fisherman’s Rib stitch, also called K1B (knit one below).

Trying My Hand at Knitting a Shawl

Shawl in progress
“Arch” by Madeline Tosh
“Cielo y Tierra” by Malabrigo

“Sock yarn” is really pretty, but I’ve never knit a pair of socks. Many knitters use it to create beautiful shawls, so I am trying my hand at shawl knitting.

Since I live in Florida, when will I ever wear a shawl? Possibly walking the beach in winter … or else I’ll take it with me to New Hampshire on a visit. It’s quite possible that I will knit a wardrobe that can only be used one week a year!

Oh well, I love knitting.

This shawl is called the No Fuss Shade-Loving Shawl and the Free Pattern (not mine) is available for download at Ravelry.

The stitches are easy enough, with a written pattern that is easy to follow.  The stitches you need to know are knit, purl, yarn-over and knit-2-together.  Not too tough.  As a beginner knitter (or someone with poor eyesight), you may want to choose a light color yarn which makes the stitches easier to see.

knitting a shawl
Began with “Arch”, which was too gray for me, so I switched to “Ceilo y tierra”

I began it using sock yarn by Madeline Tosh in color “Arch” which is dark gray-black with some blue.   You can see it in the photo above at the top of the shawl.  It was too dark for my liking. I had a similar weight yarn, by Malabrigo, in color “cielo y tierra” which is more brown, but still had the blue.  The last color I used for the edging, which is done in seed stitch, was Malabrigo mechita in “Marte”, which I loved.

I knit a few rows alternating the yarns to make the change over, and then I knitted to about the edging rows and changed yarn once again.   I like the feel of the Malabrigo yarn, so I am now using the color “Marte” which has some bright rust-orange.

Malabrigo’s “Marte” colorway
See the orange in this one

I have joined Ravelry, which I have enjoyed until recently (I have since been disappointed by their policy which calls all supporters of the POTUS as bigots and racists).

I’m not an experienced knitter, so buying a pattern is a bit scary. Also, I can’t easily understand a chart. I like directions written out. Once I feel more comfortable using all those increase and decrease stitches, I will look for something more advanced. I have no problem paying for a pattern. People work hard to create them. I just don’t want to waste money on something that ends up frustrating me.  I need more practice.

I’ll post a photo once it’s finished……… And now it’s done! …….. I consider myself a beginner knitter, maybe even an intermediate. I can’t read a graph pattern, only written ones. This shawl was easy and fun to knit, and the only problems I had was with my own mistakes.

I would recommend this pattern to anyone wanting to try a shawl, and it’s perfect for beginners who need practice. It even begins easily and not with that strange way some shawls begin. I loved the Malabrigo Marte yarn which I used for the last rows / border.

Will continue with the pattern longer next time before doing the border. The shawl is a bit small for me.

shawl knitting pattern
Finished “Shade-loving shawl”

Keep Reading About My Recent Knitting Projects

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