A Striped Shawl to Celebrate Progress

Admittedly this project might be a little large to stitch up to wear to Pride this year (especially since celebrations may have already happened where you live). But it’s a good reminder that Pride not just for June, so I still wanted to share the Follow Your Path Shawl from STEPHMADETHAT.

This arrow shaped triangular shawl is worked in light fingering/lace weight yarn (though of course you can use heavier yarn and it will come out a different size) in stripes in the color order of the progress flag, which includes black and brown, the blue, pink and white of the trans flag and the rainbow colors of the original pride flag.

The long side of the shawl has a divot in it that should make it easier to wear than a traditional triangular shawl, and it makes it a little more fun to knit, too.

The original was worked with mini skeins, or you can use leftovers from other projects if you happen to have the colors on hand. You can also alter the width of the stripes as needed depending on the yarn you have or how deep you want it to be.

Speaking of mini skeins, you can find more ideas for using advent calendar yarn or other mini skeins here. And there’s plenty more pride knitting patterns, too!

The pattern is worked in garter stitch so the stripes really are the highlight, and it should be pretty quick and easy to knit even with the lighter weight yarn. It would make a great TV or travel knitting project that you can wear throughout the year or save it for next year’s pride events. It would also make a great gift any time of year for someone in the LBGTQ+ community or an ally who supports them.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: STEPHMADETHAT]

Next Pattern:

I feel like felting is a knitting genre that deserves a resurgence. My first knitting book (which came out in 2008, eek!) was all about felting, but I don’t feel like there are a lot of felting knitting projects out there these days. I really like the technique as an easy way to make a thicker, more durable knit fabric, and it’s actually perfect for knitting bags.

The ZZ Bag from yamagara recently caught my eye and got me thinking about felted bags, and maybe remaking one of the bags that was in that book. This one has a fun zigzag pattern and is worked in worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

A lot of the other knit and felted bag patterns I could find were older, but that doesn’t make them bad patterns. I’ve always loved the booga bag from Black Sheep Bags (the pattern is on their website but the photo is broken so you can also check it out on Ravelry). This is a fun one because you can use all your leftovers or a self-striping yarn (the original was made with Noro) to give it a colorful look that’s super easy to knit.

An envelope purse is another easy shape to knit, and this version from Lavender Hill Knits on Etsy comes in different sizes for younger girls and teens or adults. The small version is worked with one strand of worsted weight yarn, while the larger uses two held together.

The Japanese knot bag is a classic, and a felted version is a lot of fun. You can find this pattern from Cindy Pilon on Ravelry and knit one for yourself using bulky yarn. I also love her bag The Curve, which is also on Ravelry and has a fun rounded shape and contrasting handles.

And there’s also the amazing stained glass bag from Knitting Dream, which also uses a Noro yarn, but you could use wool scraps on the different fans to give it a unique look. There are two size options to choose from and it’s not as tricky as it looks.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?