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Top Notched Shawl

November 2, 2015 17 Comments

Get your hands on this fun, free & easy pattern for a square knit shawl, perfect to show off those fancy, one-skein yarns you haven't quite found the right use for!

Do you ever have gorgeous skein of yarn in  your stash that you can never quite find the perfect use for? I recently got my hands on a small skein of pink yarn with a yellow/green gradient section. After sitting with it for a couple weeks, I realized it would be fun to design a square shawl with it to highlight the shape of the garment and how the colors change as you knit.

Get your hands on this fun, free & easy pattern for a square knit shawl, perfect to show off those fancy, one-skein yarns you haven't quite found the right use for!

Constructed from the center out, you add stitches at the edges and evenly across each quarter of the shawl. Increasing the stitches in this way creates a perfectly square shape, with an opening along one edge from the center to accomodate the wearer’s head. I love how the color change “turns” each corner of the square, highlighting the shawl’s bold, geometric shape!

Get your hands on this fun, free & easy pattern for a square knit shawl, perfect to show off those fancy, one-skein yarns you haven't quite found the right use for!

The yarn I used for this comes from Bijou Basin Ranch, and it’s a specially dyed gradient yarn using their 50% yak/50% silk blend yarn, Shangri-La. So soft and light! This shawl is like wearing butterfly wings and is perfect for keeping the breeze off your skin as temperatures change in fall and spring.

The Top Notched Shawl - Get your hands on this fun, free & easy pattern for a square knit shawl, perfect to show off those fancy, one-skein yarns you haven't quite found the right use for!

Top Notched Shawl – the free pattern

Supplies

US size 3 knitting needles – long circular needles recommended
1 skein yarn, any size – lace or fingering weight recommended
3 stitch markers
scissors
crochet hook or tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Abbreviations

CO – cast on
WS – wrong side
RS – right side
k – knit
p – purl
yo – yarn over
pm – place marker
m- marker
sts – stitches
sl m – slip marker
BO – bind off

Pattern

CO 9 sts

garter ridge stripes
odd rows 1-19.
(WS) k across.
2. (RS) k1, (yo, k1, yo, k1, pm) 3 times, (yo, k1) 2 times.
even rows 4-20. k1, (yo, k to 1 st before m, yo, k1, sl m) 3 times, yo, k to last st, yo, k1.

stockinette stripes
odd rows 21-39. (WS) k1, (p to m, sl m, k1) 3 times, p to last st, k1.
even rows 22-40. (RS) repeat rows 4-20.

Continue alternating rows 1-20 and rows 21-40 until you are nearly to the end of your skein. BO in pattern, weave in ends and block to finish.

The Top Notched Shawl - Get your hands on this fun, free & easy pattern for a square knit shawl, perfect to show off those fancy, one-skein yarns you haven't quite found the right use for!

The Top Notched Shawl - Get your hands on this fun, free & easy pattern for a square knit shawl, perfect to show off those fancy, one-skein yarns you haven't quite found the right use for!

The yarn pictured was provided by Bijou Basin Ranch. 

Filed Under: Free Patterns, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: bijou basin ranch, free knitting pattern, free pattern, one skein knitting pattern, one skein pattern, shawl pattern, square shawl, top notched shawl

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Catherine

    November 8, 2015 at 8:26 am

    This is lovely – would it be possible to see a photo of it worn, from the front? I’m having trouble envisioning how the fronts drape. From the back it looks a lot like a triangular shawl. Thank you for the free pattern!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      November 9, 2015 at 8:48 am

      Sure! I just added a couple of the outtakes to the post for reference.

      Reply
  2. Krista

    May 11, 2016 at 4:00 am

    I like this pattern so much! But — I think you are missing a YO at the end of the row 4-20 section, after you slip the last marker.

    Thank you for the pattern, and I am enjoying your blog.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      May 13, 2016 at 8:13 am

      You’re right! Thank you, Krista! It’s been fixed.

      Reply
  3. Jane Snyder

    September 10, 2016 at 9:28 am

    Can’t wait to make the shawl thank you have a good day

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 10, 2016 at 5:33 pm

      You too!

      Reply
  4. Fran

    July 8, 2017 at 9:53 am

    Could not find yarn with the gradient stripes.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      July 8, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      You can find gradient or variegated yarn at JoAnn’s & Michaels, as well as many local yarn shops. The selection can vary at local stores, so you may want to call ahead to confirm before making the trip.

      Reply
  5. Jeannie

    July 11, 2017 at 4:07 am

    This is beautiful! Perhaps this one will stay on my shoulders without a clip or me hanging onto it :-) Just hoping mine turns out as pretty as yours!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      July 11, 2017 at 4:56 pm

      Well, thanks! :) It’s a fun one to knit too! I gave the one pictured to one of my grandmothers, and she loved it. I might have to make another soon!

      Reply
  6. Lena Samuelsson

    July 16, 2017 at 5:03 am

    Wow what a beautiful shawl. And a nice shape. I have some yarn that I had bought on Wish and now I know what to do with it. I have been printed out the pattern and will try to translate it to swedish for my own personal use, if I don’t managed to read it on english. Thanks for sharing your work

    Reply
  7. Toni

    July 18, 2017 at 9:11 am

    I can not find the yarn for the top notch shawl that you used from the web site that is with the task. I really like that color.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      July 18, 2017 at 9:42 am

      Bijou Basin Ranch does a series of yarns with indie dyers, and I believe there’s a limited quantity of each color. Here’s the section of their website featuring the various indie dyers: http://www.bijoubasinranch.com/indie-dyers/. If you’re looking for something specific, the folks who run that yarn company are very nice. You could reach out to them in their “contact us” section to see if they’re getting more of this pretty color!

      Reply
  8. lilla

    November 8, 2017 at 2:27 am

    Hi Heidi! I used your pattern to knit a baby blanket and I translated it in Italian. Hope you agree. If not so please let me know and I’ll delete my post.
    http://spaziolilla.blogspot.it

    Reply
    • Heidi

      November 8, 2017 at 4:11 pm

      Great! I just emailed you. :)

      Reply
  9. Anne Kwo

    October 18, 2019 at 1:37 pm

    how many yards of each color in lace weight yarn. I love the colors you used!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 22, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      The yarn I worked with was self-striping, and the shawl is actually designed to work with any yardage. The shawl pictured used one ball of the yarn mentioned in the post. :)

      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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