Self Fringing Shawl

 

It has been quite a while since I knit anything due to other crafty endeavors, work, and life in general. Lately I have felt in the mood to pick up yarn and needles again, especially with the cooler weather. I wanted a project that didn't require too much thought, something I could work on while watching TV and something that didn't require keeping track of a stitch pattern.  Garter stitch fit the bill, plus I really like garter stitch.  I have wanted to knit a self fringing shawl since around the time I learned to knit, so that is what I decided I wanted to work on.  I had a few false starts, but finally finished a nice, fringy shawl I am sharing with you below. 

Usually, I prefer to work with natural fibers; for this project, I decided to go with 100% acrylic.  With natural fibers, blocking is essential to open up the stitch pattern.  Since I used garter stitch, I wasn't too worried about having to block to show off a stitch pattern. Plus I don't really have a good place to put down blocking mats to pin out my shawl.  The yarn is machine wash/dry, but I chose to lightly steam it to straighten out the fringe and neaten up some of my uneven stitches a bit, and I also didn't want to tangle my fringe.

The shawl is worked side to side - cast on a few stitches and increase until the required number of stitches is reached, then decrease until only a few remain.  Here you can see where the increase section turns to the decrease section. 

Once you have fastened off the body stitches, you just unravel the remaining stitches to create your fringe.  

In the Supplies list I mention a straight cable needle or DPN for knotting the fringe.  This is completely optional and the purpose it to just help in getting the knot of the fringe close to the body of the shawl.  A little trick I use when I finish sewing (repairing a small rip or tear in clothing) when I tie off the thread, I stick the needle into the loop of thread to help tie it as close to the fabric as possible.  Once you've made the knot, before tightening, place the cable needle or DPN against the body of the shawl, then pull on the fringe and wiggle the knot down to the base of the shawl.  Again, this is completely optional and you may find it more fiddly than necessary.

I weighed my skein of yarn without the ball band, and it was 11 oz.  I used about 6 oz total.  For the cast on and end tail, you can leave these a bit long so you can loop them to make a couple of extra fringes, or you can weave them in as you would normally weave in loose ends.

Supplies:

Yarn: Lion Brand Mandala Bonus Bundle (I used the Meowth colorway) or any #3 weight yarn (light worsted/DK)

Needles: US Size 10 circular - 24" or longer

Notions: stitch marker, yarn needle (for any loose ends you may have), scissors, straight cable needle or DPN (for knotting fringe, optional)

Gauge: 3 sts per inch on steam blocked fabric - not super important for this project

Finished Shawl Size: 

Center to Tip: 28 inches, not including fringe

Fringe: about 3-1/2 inches long

Tip to Tip: 78 inches

Abbreviations:

sts = stitches

kfb = knit into the front of next stitch and knit into the back of next stitch

k2tog = knit next two stitches together

Cast on!

Cast on 6 sts

Increase Section:

Row 1: knit

Row 2: k1, kfb, place marker, k4

Row 3: knit all sts, slipping the marker when you get to it

Row 4: knit to 1 stitch before marker, kfb, slip marker, k4

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until you have 100 body stitches - plus 4 fringe sts; you will want to have ended with Row 3.

Decrease Section:

Row 5: knit to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, slip marker, knit 4

Row 6: knit all sts, slipping the marker when you get to it

Repeat Rows 5 and 6 until 7 sts remain; you will want to have ended with Row 6.

Finishing:

Row 7: k1, k2tog, slip marker, k4 - 2 body sts remaining

Row 8: knit

Last Row: k2tog, remove marker. Cut yarn and pull tail through last worked stitch. Remove needle from the four remaining sts.

Fringe:

Unravel remaining four sts and knot. Cut if desired or leave as loops.  Weave in any loose ends, 

block as desired.

Here is a video showing the steps for knitting your shawl. Happy Knitting!

Scrappy Scarf in Garter Stitch

 

I started this project ages ago and recently found it tucked away in a bag, still on the needles.  I think I had intended for this to be a wrap, but I didn't have as much yarn as I thought I did, so it is now a scarf.  

While I used full skeins of yarn specifically chosen for the project, I am calling it a scrappy scarf, because it is a great project to use up scrap yarn you don't know what else to do with.  I used a mix of smooth worsted weight yarn, loopy boucle and fuzzy mohair, both bulky weight (my own hand dyed yarn from when I had my online shop).  

I cast on 200 stitches using a 42 inch US size 11 circular needle and knit every row.  I cut the yarn after every row, leaving tails about ten inches or so and was careful to leave a long tail when I started each row.  I tied the two beginning/end tails together to create the fringe.  I didn't measure or try to make them all exactly the same length because I was going for a scrappy look.  

While this is garter stitch and technically has no wrong side, I made my color changes so that the purl bumps with the new color was always on the "back".  You can change colors on any side you want if those purl bumps don't bother you. They do look pretty neat.  You can see the purl bumps in this closeup, whereas in the pictures above, the color changes are smoother.

I chose garter stitch, but you really could throw in a few rows of a different stitch, or even use a different stitch for the entire thing.  A mesh stitch scrappy scarf might be pretty.

One thing to keep in mind with a project like this is how you treat the finished project.  You'll want to care for the scarf (or shawl or wrap) based on the yarn used that requires the most care.  For instance, if you use superwash wool and alpaca yarn, you'll want to follow the care instructions for the alpaca yarn.  If you use a machine washable acrylic and a non-superwash wool, you'll want to hand wash because of the non-superwash wool.

Needle size - My size 11 needle worked great for both my bulky and worsted weight yarns.  If you are using yarns with a big difference in weight (bulky and sport for instance) you could switch out your needles depending on which yarn you were using for each row.  Or, whatever the appropriate needle size is for your heaviest yarn can be used for the entire project; it will give the finer yarns a lacier, open look.

You can really use any yarn and needle size that gives you a fabric you like.  Use one or two colors, use a lot of colors.  Use only smooth yarns, use only textured yarns like boucle.  Knit some rows in a larger than called for needle for an open, drapey fabric, knit some rows with a smaller needle size that gives you a firmer fabric.  Use all sock yarn, use all chunky yarn. There are a lot of ways you can experiment with a scrappy project.  I hope this inspires you to pull out all of those balls of scrap yarn you have and make a unique project.

Happy Knitting!

Top Down Garter Stitch Shawls - Triangle

 

At long last, here is the tutorial for a basic, top down triangle garter stitch shawl.  I will show you two ways to knit your shawl, both are equally easy.  

If you'd like to follow along, any yarn and appropriately sized needle will do.  You'll also want a stitch marker to make keeping track of your center stitch easier.

The yarn I used for my little samples is Premier Hipster Cotton.  I got this at my local Dollar Tree a few years ago, and am not sure if Premier still makes it.  It is a #3 yarn (DK/light worsted) and the recommended needle size is US 6, so that is what I used.  

I used DPNs in the video since I only made tiny shawls.  For regular sized shawls, you'll want to use circular needles*.  Circulars come in various lengths, up to 60 inches.  I recommend at least a 32 inch circular; the heavier (thicker) your yarn is, the longer the needle you'll want to use, otherwise things are going to be all bunched up, and in my opinion, difficult to move along the needle, not to mention more prone to dropping off.  Of course you can always use point protectors to keep your stitches safe when you put your work down; I find that when I have a lot of stitches bunched up on a too short needle, sometimes a few will slip off while I am actually knitting.  Point protectors don't help in that case.  *If you are using a very fine lace weight yarn, you can get a decent sized shawl using very long straight needles.

There are of course other ways to go about making a top down shawl - the two methods here are just the basics to get you started if you've never made a top down shawl before.  That said, even if you are an experienced knitter, sometimes you just want a simple project to work on while you binge your favorite show or listen to an audio book, and don't want to have to bother keeping track of too much detail.  A top down garter stitch shawl fits the bill.

You'll want to bind off loosely so the edge has enough stretch for blocking.  There are a lot of stretchy bind offs, choose whichever you prefer.  I show the k2tog tbl bind off (aka decrease bind off, aka several other names) in the video.

I only knit about ten rows for the mini shawls in the video; if you are making a mini practice shawl, you can stop there and bind off.  If you happen to like how your mini shawl looks, by all means continue on until it is as big as you want.

A word about gauge - yes, it is important if you're knitting something that you want to fit correctly like socks and sweaters.  It isn't quite so important for shawls.  You certainly can make a gauge swatch if you want to, especially if you want to make sure you end up with a shawl of a certain size.  I personally never make a gauge swatch when I am making my own shawls. 

Before we get started, I want to share a tip - while it is quite easy to distinguish between the increase rows and plain knit rows, attaching a stitch marker to one side or the other is an easy way to keep track of which side you're working on.  

Abbreviations:

k = knit

yo = yarn over

pm = place marker

sm = slip marker

kfb = knit into the front and back of the next stitch

The first shawl uses the yarn over increase.

Cast on 3 stitches

Row 1: k1, yo, pm, k1, yo, k1

Row 2: knit

Row 3: k1, yo, knit to marker, yo, sm, k1, yo, knit to last stitch, yo, k1

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 to desired length, bind off, weave in your ends and block.

The second shawl begins the same way as the first, then uses the knit front/back increase.

Cast on 3 stitches

Row 1: k1, yo, pm, k1, yo, k1

Row 2: knit

Row 3: k1, yo, knit to marker, yo, sm, k1, yo, knit to last stitch, yo, k1

Row 4: knit

Row 5: k1, yo, knit to 1 stitch before marker, kfb, sm, k1, kfb, knit to last stitch, yo, k1

Row 6: knit

Repeat Rows 5 and 6 to desired length, bind off, weave in your ends and block.

Enjoy your new shawl!