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.
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.
Ribbed hat in Estrellita sparkle yarn
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
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.
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
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!
Once the knitting bug bit me a few months ago, I have been nutty with greed for new yarn and new patterns to try. Here is what I have knit so far this year. (Most of these items have links to the Free Patterns.)
Pom Pom Hat
First photo: The chunky knit child’s hat with a pom pom on top was the first “little” hat I ever made. I gave it as a gift for a new baby girl who lives in a cold climate. She will probably wear it next winter. The nice thing about hats is that they are stretchy.
View my blog post, and get the link to Purl Soho’s Snow Day hat, which is a free pattern. I did change it up a bit by using another type of yarn and smaller needles.
“Snow Day” hat pattern
Big Flower Pink Hat
The little pink girl’s hat below was begun using a free pattern I found online. (Get the link on my page here.) I also found a crocheted flower to add to the edge. You can find that tutorial at Classy Crochet. *Note: The center of the flower is made first, then you work outward. This was also a gift. I don’t have any little ones to knit for.
Child’s Big Flower Hat
Worsted Twist and Fisherman’s Rib
The Fisherman’s Rib scarf was fun to make and I loved the Worsted Twist yarn I purchased from Purl Soho. I did find a good pattern, which tidies up the edges better. You can see all that info in my post. I wanted a hat to match, and still had yarn leftover. The Fisherman’s Rib is not as easy when worked on a circular needle, so I decided to make up my own hat pattern. I named it the Long Rib Hat. It needs either a pom pom or flower, which I have yet to add.
Fisherman’s Rib scarf and Long Rib Hat (my pattern) in Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist yarn
Love Chunky Rasta Yarn!
Okay, the Rasta yarn I used for this chunky knit hat and scarf set was so much fun to use! Malabrigo makes it, and that company is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I haven’t written about this set yet. The hat is a simple k1,p1 around until decreases at top. I think I took notes, but I have to find them. The scarf is short, but I used the same Fisherman’s Rib stitch as the scarf above. I used 2 skeins of Rasta “Arco Iris” color, for both (less than one skein for the hat, and remaining for the short scarf – about 40 inches). I wasn’t too sure about the color, but ended up liking it. And I love working with the super soft, and colorful yarn! *One drawback – often this yarn is out of stock in many colors.
Malabrigo Rasta Chunky Yarn Set
Autumn Colors Double-Wrap Cowl
The cowl below was also a free pattern I found at Ravelry. See my notes and the link to the pattern and creator on my Ravelry Project page. This one wraps double around the neck.
Infinity scarf / cowl in Madeline Tosh
Gray Cables Knit Hat
The hat below was knit from a book called Cozy Stash-Busting Knits. It has shawls, hats and mittens to knit using heavier weight yarns. The “Astrid” hat gave me some good experience using a cable needle (yikes). I used Mad Tosh Vintage yarn which is a little too stiff for a hat, IMO. I would also measure the height better, as this one came out too tall.
Jen Lucas “Astrid” Hat Pattern
I Made a Shawl!
Recently I finished my first shawl! This was also a Free pattern. You can see my photos and notes about the “Shade Loving Shawl” on my Ravelry page.
Free triangle shawl pattern – my first shawl
Connect With Knitters on Pinterest
As with all things, knitters gain knowledge and experience by knitting! I make many mistakes, but the important thing is that I try new things. Most days I spend at least a little bit of time searching for more patterns, yarn, and online shops to “favorite”. Usually I save them to my Pinterest knitting board which you can follow below so I can come find you!
New England's Narrow Road 