Free Pattern: Mitered Shawl (knit)

While this was not the first pattern I ever published, it is the first one I published after returning to Horse 'n' Round Studio as a full-time endeavor after several years of burning out in the corporate world. I was excited about all the ideas swimming in my head and getting them on paper or into fiber and bringing fiber arts to more people as a form of mindfulness and even perhaps healing and stress relief.

Enter the mitered square. This simple knit square is easy to make one or two (or several) in an evening, or on the bus or train for a commute, or waiting for someone in the car. Once you have enough, you can start putting them together. Want to make your shawl bigger? Add more squares. Made too many squares? Make another shawl for a friend! You might even find yourself saying, “Just one more square!” late into the night.

Would prefer a crochet version? You can find it here!

Materials:

These are the materials used for the sample pictured and are provided as a guideline. However, you may use any weight of yarn and preferred size of needles appropriate for that yarn. This will also change the finished size of your shawl. I recommend creating a sample square as a swatch to measure with your chosen yarn if you are concerned about the size.

• Approximately 665 yards (608 meters) bulky weight wool/acrylic blend

• US 10.5 needles (6.5mm)

• Blunt large-eyed needle

Finished size (sample):

63” x 29” (160cm x 74cm)

Pattern note for assembly:

You may leave tails at the beginning and end of the square for sewing the squares together later, or weave them in as you go. In creating the sample, I used the tails to sew the squares together, but found that I still had a lot of tails to weave in at the end. Your preference rules here as well.

Special stitch:

dec2 = Slip the next stitch purlwise to the right needle, k2tog, take the slipped stitch over the stitch you just made and off the needle.

Squares (make 42):

CO 33 st.

Row 1:

K across.

Row 2:

K 15, dec2, k15.

Row 3:

Repeat row 1.

Row 4:

K 14, dec2, k14.

Continue rows in this pattern, decreasing the number of stitches on each side of the decrease by 1 on each even-numbered row. When you have only 3 sts left on the needle, dec2, break or cut your yarn, and pull the tail through the remaining loop.

Finishing:

1. If needed, block with an iron on low-medium heat with steam before sewing together.

2. Stitch the squares together using a simple whip stitch and mattress stitch, depending on the sides of the squares being attached. Instructions for these stitches can be found in numerous places on YouTube and other websites. You can either assemble it in parts (4x4 squares, then assemble the additional pieces), or sew the rows together as you would a simple Granny Square pattern.

3. If desired, single crochet around the outside edge after assembly. This provides a smooth edge and better overall stability. I chose to skip this step with the specific yarn that I used for the sample because I liked the rougher look in that yarn.

4. Weave in remaining ends.

5. Block shawl using your preferred method.

Additional options:

For a larger shawl, add more blocks and continue building upward and outward in the triangle pattern. (Total blocks for 1 additional row would be 54. A second additional row would be 68.)

If you used a non-superwash wool yarn, especially one with long color repeats, this shawl also looks very nice if felted lightly.

Add tassels to the outer corners of the shawl for a more Bohemian look. If you knit with a tight gauge and find that the corners tend to curl, even after blocking, this can help correct that curl.

Enjoy your new shawl!

Did you make some? Post a picture and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or link in the comments below, so I can see your work! Happy knitting!

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Patterns on this site may not be distributed for profit, but you may make and sell the finished item. I only ask that you give credit and provide a link back to my site. This is how we can all help each other!