Free Knitting Patterns: Dappled Shawl

Shawl Shapes

Knitted shawl patterns come in an endless variety of shapes. You can find knitting patterns for triangular, square, circular, or rectangular shawls as well as even more sophisticated shapes. And every shape can also be manipulated in various ways to make them symmetrical or asymmetrical or shaped with increases or decreases, or both … anyway, you get the picture. There are a lot of choices. My favourite shawl shape is triangular and you can find many of my triangular shawl patterns on this website, including several free shawl patterns. The free shawl pattern I am about to share here is triangular and it’s really just another variation of my other free triangular shawl patterns, except in a variegated yarn.

Meet the Dappled Shawl:

My Truly Triangular and Totally Triangular Scarves are basic triangular shapes in DK weight yarn. The Jagged Triangular Scarf follows the same basic structure but adds a pretty edge and is done in fingering weight yarn while the Blended Shawl is a little different. It’s asymmetrical and instead of starting with a few stitches and ending with a few stitches like the others it starts with a few and ends with a lot. This new shawl pattern is a cross between these two types. Its shape is based on the Truly Triangular Scarf but it follows the structure of the Blended Shawl.

This shape looks great in a variegated yarn and that is what I’ve chosen to showcase. You can choose any yarn. It doesn’t have to be variegated. I chose to use a variegated yarn to show that you don’t have to shy away from variegated yarns with sideways shawls. Let’s be honest. Variegated yarns can be tricky when knitting items that use shaping. Sideways end-to-end shawl patterns don’t always showcase them well because the changing lengths of the rows often lend themselves to unpredictable pooling of the colours. This sideways shawl only has increases along one side and that is part of the solution. I’ll explain more in a minute.

Yarn Choice

First, let’s talk about this beautiful yarn. I think the perfect stitch to show off a variegated yarn is garter stitch. I chose this beautiful variegated colourway of Ancient Arts Merino Silk Fingering. It’s called Dapple and it reminds me of a decadent chocolatey caramel dessert or a delicious caramel cappuccino with chocolate shavings on top. The yarn is a blend of 75% superwash merino and 25% silk and it’s a fingering (or sock weight) yarn. I’m going to use a US size 5, or 3.75 mm, needle to make a soft, squishy, and drapey fabric. The silk and merino content put this yarn in the luxury category but you can use whatever yarn fits your budget.

Working With A Variegated Yarn

Let’s get back to the pooling issue. Let me say, though, that pooling isn’t necessarily a problem. It can be used effectively to create stunning knitted items. You might choose to let your yarn do what it will. However, I will be avoiding pooling as follows. First of all, because the rows we’re knitting start small and get longer it’s important to choose a variegated yarn with short colour stretches. I also then laid the knitting out flat every few rows and examined how the colours were looking. When the colours did pool, as they did in the photo below on the left, I unraveled back to the beginning of the pooling and I cut the yarn and reattached it. Removing a section of the yarn redistributed the colours.

You can see the difference in the re-knitted photo on the right. You’ll notice that in this example I also cut the yarn a second time to manipulate the colours even more. You can see the two places I cut and reattached the yarn. And you can see the difference in the colouring. Personally, I prefer how it looks on the right. You may prefer the pooling. It’s up to you!

Knitting The Shawl

This shawl is shaped with only increases. The increase stitch used is the kfb stitch (knit into the front and back of the stitch). I almost always use it with garter stitch because it is nearly invisible. (It can be hard to see it in your knitting if you’re counting increases however. Check out my tutorial to learn how to find it: Spotting the kfb Stitch 101). The kfb increase stitch is worked close to the diagonal edge on every right side row making the pattern very easy to memorize. The shawl is worked with the same increase pattern as the Truly Triangular Scarf. It increases to the end of the shawl, though, instead of switching to decreases halfway through.

The bound-off edge is a long one so be sure to bind off your stitches quite loosely. I use a traditional bind-off stitch and I work it very loosely. You can choose your favourite loose bind off method. You want the edge to stretch when blocked.

Finishing Touches

And this brings us to a very important part of shawl knitting. This shawl is worked with a larger than recommended needle for fingering weight yarn. This creates a loose and drapey fabric which requires blocking. Blocking evens out the stitches and stretches the shawl to its finished size. (Learn more about blocking with this tutorial: Shawlette Blocking 101).

Finally, you’ve probably noticed by now that I added tassels to my finished shawl. Tassels are completely optional but certainly fun. I put a tassel on each of the three corners of my shawl but another option might be to add a fringe along both bottom edges. The choice is yours. If you want to add tassels to your shawl be sure to reserve enough yarn to make them. Learn how I made my tassels with this tutorial: Tassel Making 101.

Dappled Shawl Pattern Instructions

Materials

• Any amount of fingering or sock yarn of your choice. Used here: 1 skein of Ancient Arts Yarns Merino Silk Fingering (75% superwash extra fine merino/25% silk; 437 yd [400 m]/3.5 oz [100 g]). Shown in Dapple.
• US size 5 [3.75 mm] needles, or size needed to obtain desired gauge.
• 1 stitch marker.
• Blocking materials.
• Tassel making materials (optional).

Gauge

• Gauge will vary depending on yarn choice. It isn’t necessary to match my gauge. But for reference, my gauge is 18 sts and 30 rows = 4 inches [10 cm] in garter stitch, after washing and blocking.

Finished Measurements

• Finished measurements will vary. For reference, my finished shawl is approximately 21 inches [53 cm] deep at middle point and 58 inches [147 cm] long across top edge, blocked.

Stitches Used

• k – knit
• p – purl
• sl – slip the stitch from left to right needle as if to knit, with yarn in back
• kfb – knit into the front and then the back of the stitch (increase)

Instructions

• All slipped sts are slipped knitwise (kwise) with yarn in back (wyib).
• Work edge and increase stitches loosely so that the edge of the shawl stretches nicely during blocking.

Cast on 3 sts.

Setup Row 1 (WS): Sl1, kfb, p1.
Setup Row 2 (RS): Sl1, k1, place marker, kfb, p1.

Body of Shawl:
Row 3 (WS): Sl1, k to marker, slip marker, k1, p1.
Row 4 (RS): Sl1, k1, slip marker, kfb, knit to last st, p1.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until just enough yarn remains to bind off, OR at least approximately 12 grams of yarn remains if you will be using the same yarn to make tassels. (I stopped with 14 grams left and used 3 grams or 26 feet/8 metres per tassel).

Finishing

Bind off very loosely, using a favourite loose bind-off or by working a regular bind-off extremely loosely. Weave in ends. Soak shawl in water and wool wash and block to finished measurements.

If you are making tassels, divide remaining yarn into 3 and make three tassels. Attach tassels to the three corners of the shawl.

Learn how I made my tassels with this tutorial: Tassel Making 101.

Pattern by Michelle Krause.

Copyright 2020 by Leah Michelle Designs. Pattern and photos may not be sold for profit or distributed or reproduced without permission.