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Other People’s Houses Shawl pattern / RALKAL Kickoff!!

October 10, 2016 6 Comments

Knit the Other People's Houses Shawl - this first time shawl-friendly free pattern is versatile and can be knit with any yarn.

It’s time to knit along with your fellow yarn loving bibliophiles! You can finally see a full view of the Other People’s Houses Shawl (above), crack open or press play on your copies of The Smell of Other People’s Houses, and tuck in for the first Read Along Knit Along on Hands Occupied. Who’s excited?

How this is going to work

To recap, between now and October 31, we’ll be reading The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock and knitting the free pattern (found below!) for the Other People’s Houses Shawl by yours truly. Whether that’s alternating between reading a physical copy of the book or listening to it on audiobook while knitting at the same time, the timeline runs today through the end of the month.

We’ll be discussing the book in the Hands Occupied Ravelry Group throughout the knit along, and I’ll be in the group daily to chat and see what you think. Pacing-wise, this book is a fast read, but I’ve made threads for each section of the book. The book’s sections are designated by season, so there are threads for spring, summer, fall and winter. This will help us chat about the book freely, even if we’re not all finished with the whole book.

Prizes!

Other than, you know, the joy of reading and knitting a free pattern, on to additional fun stuff! As I mentioned in the announcement post, there are going to be some prizes for this knit along. :) I’ve got a couple skeins of yarn from Louet North America (the yarn I designed this pattern with!), some lotion bars for keeping your hands soft during marathon knit sessions, and more prizes to be announced soon! By joining or already being a member of the Hands Occupied Ravelry Group, you’re eligible to enter the raffle, and you’ll be able to get two more chances to win: one for finishing your shawl by October 31, and one for finishing the book on time too. The pattern is a real relaxer of a knit, and the book is pretty quick. With winter holidays looming, I wanted to make sure the first RALKAL was easy and no stress! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Try knitting this beginner-friendly shawl from Heidi Gustad. It can be knit with any yarn and can be worn as a wrap or stylish bandana. Bonus: This is a free knitting pattern!

Other People’s Houses Shawl pattern

Supplies

two 100g balls of Louet Gems Euroflax Sport yarn in your choice of color (pictured is Cloud Grey)
1 pair of 40 inch US 3 circular knitting needles
tapestry needle (to weave in ends)
scissors
stitch markers

Abbreviations

CO – cast on
sts – stitches
(X sts) – X indicates the number of sts there should be in a given row
yo – yarn over
sl – slip
wyif – with yarn in front
k – knit
pm – place marker
tbl – through the back loop
WS – wrong side
m – marker
RS – right side
rpt [ to ] or rpt { to } – repeat the stitches listed in between the brackets [ ] or braces {}
yo’s – yarn overs (plural)
m’s – markers (plural)
BO – bind off

Gauge & dimensions: 4 rows & 5 sts per inch in garter stitch.
24 inches from top center (cast on point) to center tip of the triangle. Approx. 55 inches wide.

Garter Tab
CO 2 sts, knit 6 rows, pick up 5 sts along long side and CO side of tab (7 sts).

Shawl Setup Section

1. sl 1 wyif, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, k1 tbl. (11 sts)
2. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k to last m, yo, sl m, k1 k1 tbl.
3. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
Repeat 2-3 until there are 31 sts.

Drop stitch section one

1. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, [k4, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo, k4], yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt [ to ], yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
2. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k across to last m dropping all yo’s in the [ to ] section only and sl m’s as you go, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
3. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, k to m, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (Same as row 3 the from the setup section above.)
4. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k across to last m, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl.
Repeat 3-4. (49 sts)
Repeat 3-4 again. (55 sts)

5. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, {[k5, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo], rpt [ to ] to last 5 sts before m, k5}, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt { to }, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (59 sts)
Repeat 2-4. (67 sts)
Repeat 3-4 until there are 85 sts.

Drop stitch section two/body of shawl

6. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k5, [k5, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo], rpt [ to ] to 5 sts before m, k5, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt [ to ] to 10 sts before m, k 10, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (89 sts)
Repeat 2-4. (97 sts)
Repeat 3-4 three times. (115 sts)

7. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k1, sl m, yo, k10, [k5, k1, yo, k1, yo twice, k1, yo 3 times, k1, yo twice, k1, yo], rpt [ to ] to 5 sts before m, k5, yo, sl m, k1, sl m, yo, rpt [ to ] to 15 sts before m, k 15, yo, sl m, k1, k1 tbl. (119 sts)
Repeat 2-4. (127 sts)
Repeat 3-4 three times. (145 sts)

Continue working drop stitch section two (a.k.a. rows 6, 2, 3, 4, then 3-4 three times. 7, 2, 3, 4, then 3-4 three times.) until there are 385 sts (a.k.a. work the drop stitch section 5 total times) or you run out of yarn. Leave enough yarn to bind off.

Finishing
BO all sts and weave in ends. Wet block to finish.

Note: If you’re using a linen yarn like the one the shawl was designed in, you’ll definitely notice a softening of the feel of the yarn and relaxing of its look once you block it!

Any questions? Holler in the comments. Throughout the RALKAL, I’ll be posting tutorials for techniques featured in the shawl, so if you find yourself stumped, let me know. I might just have a video planned to help you out!

Disclaimer: If you find what you believe is a typo, please let me know! This is a free pattern and I do my best to edit and proofread, but as a human, I’m imperfect. Not only am I capable of mistakes, I also have feelings. Just let me know what you believe is up, and I’ll look into it asap. :)

Get the free Other People's Houses Shawl pattern inspired by the stunning young adult novel by Bonnie-Sue HItchcock, The Smell of Other People's Houses

Giveaway prizes provided by Louet & SkeinsintheStacks. Opinions are my own. 

Filed Under: Free Patterns, Knit Along, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: bonnie-sue hitchcock, book group, free knitting pattern, free pattern, kal, knit along, other people's houses shawl, ralkal, read along knit along, the smell of other peoples houses

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. DebbieW

    October 11, 2016 at 12:09 am

    Do you have any alternate yarn suggestions? I was looking at sport weight yarns in the stores today (okay, only Joanns and Michaels, the nice yarn stores near me are closed on Mondays) and didn’t find sport weight (that’s #3, right?) where 100 grams equaled around 270 yards. Fingers crossed I can find something nice on Tuesday so I can get started! Thanks for the support before I’ve even started – at least I have the audiobook downloaded from the library!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 11, 2016 at 7:05 pm

      I can’t wait to hear what you think of the audiobook! I love it so far. :)

      Reply
  2. DebbieW

    October 11, 2016 at 11:58 am

    Me again! I don’t have my yarn yet, but a question about the pattern (since I’m being good and reading it before I start) – in Shawl Setup row 3, there are 4 times you slip a marker – but I only see 2 markers being placed in row 1, at the beginning and end of the row (and none in row 2). Reading on into the Drop Stitch section it also has 4 “sl m” in each row. Maybe the 2 middle “sl m” in setup row 3 are supposed to be “pm” to get to 4 markers in total?
    Thank you, it looks like a lovely pattern!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 11, 2016 at 6:44 pm

      Hi Debbie,

      Thanks so much for doing your knitting due diligence! And for being so nice in spotting my error. Yes! I was missing two pm’s in row 1 (sorry, guys!!). I’ve updated it from, “1. sl 1 wyif, k1, pm, (yo, k1) 3 times, yo, pm, k1, k1 tbl.” to what it reads now, which is:

      1. sl 1 wyif, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, k1 tbl.

      Big thank you to Debbie!
      Heidi

      Reply
  3. Sue Duval

    October 17, 2016 at 1:24 pm

    Hi, This is a great looking shawl! Any chance you would do a chart for it?
    Thanks
    Sue

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 23, 2016 at 12:24 pm

      I’ll see what I can do! :)

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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