9 Easy Shawls Free Knitting Patterns
Did you know shawls are a great way to improve your knitting skills?
Here’s why:
Shawls are larger than a scarf, you will have more time to hone your knitting skills.
They are a great way to experiment with interesting yarns or something luxurious, like cashmere or a hand dyed yarn, because they only require a skein or two.
Most shawls have some simple shaping which will help you understand how increasing or decreasing stitches will change the shape of your project.
You don’t have to worry about perfect fit as you would knitting a sweater, hat, mittens, or socks. Just use the recommended yarn weight and needle size and start knitting.
Most of all, shawls are a fabulous item to have in your wardrobe for layering, adding a pop of color, or for a little extra warmth.
If those aren’t enough reasons to knit shawls, check out this collection of nine easy shawls. They are all FREE knitting patterns.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for more information.
9 Easy Shawls to Knit: Free Patterns
#1. Sedona Triangle Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
You’ll love to watch this shawl emerge when you knit it with a self-striping yarn like the Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball Yarn shown in photo. This project uses simple knit and purl stitches to create a textured triangle wrap.
Get Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball Yarn for this project
#2. Kari Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
Kari shawl is the epitome of meditative knitting. No need for counting stitches or rows, just simple increases at the beginning of each row and after that it’s just smooth sailing with garter stitch.
This is the perfect project when you need to concentrate on other things while knitting, like a movie or conversing with your friend over a cup of coffee. Or wintry road trips when the daylight is scarce.
The garter stitch creates a squishy warm fabric and the long shape of the shawl makes it ideal for wrapping around your neck and shoulders. You can add tassels or pompoms to the corners of the shawl if you like.
Designed by Sari Nordlund
Get KnitPicks Capra DK Yarn for this project
#3. Arlequin Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
Hand dyed yarn is just right for knitting this simple garter and stockinette striped shawl. It’s knitted on the bias and uses fingering weight yarn.
Designed by Peggy Maxheim
Get KnitPicks Hawthorne Speckle Hand Paint yarn for this project
#4. Textured Triangle Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
Wear this oversized knit shawl bunched up; like a scarf, or wrapped around your shoulders, either way you’ll stand out in the crowd.
Get Red Heart Soft Essentials Yarn for this project
#5. Asymmetric Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
This colorful neon shawl looks like a lot of work, but it’s not! Using Plymouth Hot Cakes self-striping yarn, you just knit and the yarn does all the color changes for you.
Get Plymouth Hot Cakes Yarn for this project
#6 Milky Way Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
This stockinette stitch shawl is a long and skinny triangle! Use a self-striping yarn to make it an interesting project you’ll love to wear, too.
Get Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball Yarn for this project
#7. Vacation Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
Here’s what the designer has to say about this shawl, “I created this shawl when I was going on vacation and needed a simple shawl to knit while my husband was driving. Once you complete a repeat or two, you will see that you no longer need the pattern or a row counter and it can be easily knit anywhere.”
This is a triangular shawl knit sideways in garter stitch with some easy lace sections throughout.
Get KnitPicks Capra DK Yarn for this project
#8. Easiest LYS Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
You can use fingering or worsted, a gradient or a speckled yarn for this project. Find a yarn that speaks to you and cast on!
You only need to know the knit stitch and how to increase and decrease. And, if by the end, you get ambitious, you can throw in a picot bind off. If not, just go with the straight bind off!
The designer recommends visiting your local yarn store to choose just the right yarn for this project.
Designed by nycraftivist
Get Manos Alegria Yarn for this project
#9. Stormy Sky Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
Stormy Sky is a lightweight, asymmetrical shawl, it’s dynamic and modern.
Knitted from the corner in a shape of a skewed triangle, it makes a great and fast project for that one very special skein of yarn.
Alternation of sections creates nice texture and is rather easy to memorize. Tassels can be added to make corners look more polished.
Designed by Life Is Cozy.
Get Mirasol Sulka Legato Yarn for this project