Tag: shawls

Crescent-shaped Shawls to Knit

One of the first things I knit was a shawl. A shawl can be a very easy project and might be perfect for a beginner knitter to make.

Shawls can be knit in various ways to make a variety of shapes. Most are triangular, rectangular, or crescent shaped. They can be knit from the top down, end to end, or a combination.

Crescent, or Half Moon Shawl Patterns

Because I live in the sub-tropics, I never wear any type of shawl. They can be fun to knit though. My favorite shape is the crescent. A crescent shawl can also be called a “half moon” or “half pi” or “pi shawl”.

Occasionally I come across a nice crescent shawl that I might want to knit one day. A smaller size shawl can often be knit using one (decent size) skein of yarn. That makes them cheap to knit, as opposed to a sweater project. It also gives a beginner knitter some practice on easier stitches, as well as practice reading a pattern.

I have not yet knit any of these patterns, but they are in my list of faves. Choose a wool yarn of some type and use the shawl like a scarf. All links go to the designers Ravelry page where the pattern is sold.

  • Interisland Shawl, by Donna Smith. Knit in fingering weight yarn, this one has a lace edge that is knit first. Very pretty. Yardage: 437-470 yds / 400 – 430 m
  • Dutch Tulips, by Alina Appasova is listed as “crescent” but it is kinda triangular too. I like it, so I am including it here. This one is done in various stitches including slipped stitches. Sounds interesting. 2 colors, 800 yards?
  • The Lone Skein Shawl, by Joji Locatelli, needs 440 yards (402m) so takes one large skein. It is crescent, but asymmetrical (one side is longer).
  • Slumber Shawl, by West Knits, has been a long time favorite. It is listed as a triangle, but is basically rounded with a wavy edge. It is listed in Stephen West’s Beginner Friendly Patterns.

Shawls I Have Knit – Mostly NOT Crescents

The Spindrift Shawl, by Helen Stewart – link is to her pattern page at Ravelry – was a free pattern (and still is if you sign up for the workshop) and the first shawl I made. It happened to be crescent shaped.

When I began knitting I went for yarn colors that seemed fun to use. Now I am more discerning about yarn type, and colors that I would actually wear! The shape is more important too.

All of the shawls pictured here (except for Vine Pops) were very simple to knit. Vine Pops was a MKAL (mystery knit-along) and I can’t even believe I stuck it out and finished. I was new to knitting, and the shawl had lots of lace. I’ve since decided that I do not like KALs.

Spindrift shawl and Meadow Moon sweater
Spindrift pattern (see link above)
Hidden Gems shawl knitting
Hidden Gems
no fuss shade loving shawl
No-fuss Shade Loving Shawl
Moon sisters shawl knitting
Moon Sisters
Knitting Bay's Edge shawl
Bay’s Edge pattern
MKAL finished shawl
MKAL – had no name – ended up Vine Pops
Dewdrops shawl
Dewdrops pattern
knitting sun-kissed shawl
Sun Kissed shawl
colorful scrappy bias shawl
Scrappy Bias shawl

The block of photos above shows all my finished shawls. I have worn exactly NONE of them!

All, except for Spindrift, are angular. When I was ready to take a trip to New Hampshire, I wanted a little wrap for my neck, and knitted the Railings pattern by Janina Kallio. It was a little crescent-shaped shawl and I added some mohair. Using mohair was a mistake, because the fuzz near my face was not good. But, I did wear it during my trip and it provided nice warmth, as intended. It’s a sweet little shawl pattern.

Knitting the Railings crescent shawl
Railings crescent shaped scarf tied around my neck
Railings crescent scarf in gray showing the pattern

Maybe I need to write a page about knitting little travel scarves.

ball of yarn divider
Keep reading all the knitting stories…

Finished Knitting the Scrappy Bias Shawl

The Scrappy Bias Shawl was a free pattern I found at Ravelry (link below). The knitting begins at one point and expands outward by using increases on one edge and decreases on the other, which ends up as an elongated triangle shape. It’s very simple to work and can be knit in so many ways.

I liked the idea of the gradient, so I chose colors that complemented each other as they changed from darker blue, green, brown, and red, to light pink, yellow and speckled in the center. Then, back to the same dark colors at the long end of the scarf. Following a pattern, yet doing my own thing, made knitting this shawl fun. No one will have a scarf exactly like mine!

My colorful version of the free pattern: scrappy bias shawl
Scrappy Bias shawl – completed!

Fortunately I was knitting during the Florida winter so I could put on my flannel and wrap up in my finished shawl and not be roasting hot for the photo below. I don’t get much chance to wear any of my knitwear because of the climate, but occasionally it does happen.

Me wearing my newly knitted Scrappy Bias Shawl
Wearing my new shawl

***Here is the link to the Scrappy Bias Shawl pattern on Ravelry, where you will see some of the various styles and colors knitters have chosen. (You will need to create an account to view Ravelry pages.) It could be knit in a solid color, stripes, or using self-striping yarn. Use heavier worsted to make it chunky, or lighter weight yarn would give it more of a drape. Clever people could also add a design of some sort throughout.

I didn’t follow the bind off suggested in the pattern, but did an I-cord bind-off instead (See the video above for “How To”). I had just learned how when finishing my Bay’s Edge shawl, and love the look.

Visit my Knitting, Yarn and Patterns board on Pinterest for more ideas.