How to knit a basic triangle shawl

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Shawl overview

A knit shawl is a beautiful and cozy accessory, that comes in all shapes and sizes.

This basic shawl has a triangle shape. It is knit flat in stockinette stitch and has a garter stitch border. It is shaped with symmetrical increases, so the left and right sides are identical.

The shawl is knit top-down starting from the center of the neck, making it easy to adjust the size of the finished item. You simply knit until you reach your desired length.

The shawl begins with a garter tab cast-on, that blends seamlessly with its top edge.

Basic shawl knitting pattern

Finished size after blocking: 192cm/75.6” x 98cm/38.6”.

Gauge (not really important for this project): 18 stitches x 32 rows = 10 x 10cm (4 x 4″ ) in stockinette after blocking.

You will find the free knitting pattern below. Enjoy!

Be sure to check out my other shawl knitting patterns.

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PIN this for later!

Basic shawl knitting pattern

SUPPLIES

To knit this shawl you will need the following supplies:

Yarn: ~ 420g (14.8 oz) DK / light worsted yarn (category #3).

I used less than 9 balls of Drops Puna in the color taupe (o4). It’s 100% alpaca yarn, that’s warm, and has a beautiful drape.

If you don’t have the mentioned yarn at hand, here are other yarn options:

Needles: 4mm (US6/UK8) circular knitting needles with a minimum 80cm/32″ long cord.
3 removable stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Scissors

TECHNIQUES USED IN THIS PATTERN:

ABBREVIATIONS

CO – cast on

St (s) – stitch (es)

K – knit

P – purl

Yo – yarn over

PM – place marker

SM – slip marker

RS – right side

WS – wrong side

* * – repeat from * to * until the end of the row or the stated amount of times

BASIC SHAWL KNITTING PATTERN

Garter tab cast-on

Begin by knitting the garter tab cast-on:

Step 1: CO 3 sts using the long-tail cast-on. Place a removable marker in each of the 3 cast-on stitches.

Basic shawl knitting pattern

Step 2: Knit 6 rows, do not turn.

Basic shawl knitting pattern

Step 3: Rotate the piece 90 degrees clockwise. Pick up, and knit 3 stitches along the edge. You have 6 stitches on the needle.

Basic shawl knitting pattern

Step 4: Rotate the piece 90 degrees clockwise again, pick up and knit 3 cast-on stitches, remove the markers. You have 9 stitches on the needle.

Basic shawl knitting pattern

You will find a detailed tutorial on how to knit the garter tab cast-on here.

Body

The body of the shawl is worked in stockinette stitch.

Row 1 (RS): K3, Yo, K1, Yo, PM, K1, PM, Yo, K1, Yo, K3.

Row 2 (WS): K3, P to last 3 sts, K3.

Row 3: K3, Yo, K to marker, Yo, SM, K1, SM, Yo, K to last 3 sts, Yo, K3.

Row 4: K3, P to last 3 sts, K3.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until the shawl measures your desired length.

Shawl knitting pattern

Border

Work the garter stitch border to prevent the shawl from curling.

Row 1: K3, Yo, K to marker, Yo, SM, K1, SM, Yo, K to last 3 sts, Yo, K3.

Row 2: K all.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 four more times. Work row 1 one more time and bind off loosely on the wrong side.

If you tend to tighten the stitches go up a needle size.

You will find a detailed tutorial on how to bind off knitting here.

Finishing

Weave in all ends.

I always advise wet or steam blocking the finished item, this process transforms the stitches, makes them look smoother and neater.

Simply soak the knitted item in lukewarm water with some soak wash for 10-15 minutes. Lift it from the water and gently squeeze the excess water out. Next, lay it on a clean towel, and roll it up to remove moisture.

Pin the item to a blocking board or lay it on a clean and dry towel (make sure it doesn’t transfer color) and let it dry. Your knitting will look much better after this

I hope you have enjoyed this simple shawl knitting pattern, be sure to check out my other knitting patterns!

Thank you for stopping by,
Mirella.