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]

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I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know a few basic things (and trust the pattern even though it sounds wrong the first time you do it) to master socks.

Denise DeSantis aims to take the worry out of knitting socks with No Fear Sock Knitting. Based on a class on her YouTube channel, it includes all the basic information you need to make sock knitting feel easier, along with eight patterns for both top down and toe up socks.

The book generally covers types of needles and yarn you might use to knit socks, as well as other supplies you will need. It looks at the parts of the sock, different knitting needle configurations used to knit socks, how to read a pattern (including abbreviations and terms you might find in sock patterns), discussion of ease, how to measure your foot and choosing the correct size to knit.

It includes two options each for casting on cuff down and toe up socks, as well as four options for cuff treatment. It explores the heel flap and turn method for top down and toe up socks, as well as short row heels using a shadow wrap (worked with a leg from the stitch below) and a square heel. There’s a discussion of avoiding holes and fixing other problems in heels.

Likewise with toes there are several options, including a wedge toe, round toe and anatomical toe (different on each foot) for both cuff down and toe up socks. There are also tutorials for grafting and Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, depending on which direction you’re going. There’s also a tips section that covers things like avoiding ladders, changing colors. matching stripes and more.

After all that preparation, there are eight patterns to choose from: short socks worked from the top down that are a perfect first-sock sock, a basic ankle-length toe-up sock, a DK weight sock worked from the top down with different length options, a “vanilla” sock with a short row heel worked top down, an ankle sock with a garter stitch cuff, one with a leg worked in alternating colors with a contrasting heel and toe, a sock worked in a helical stripe pattern and a striped sock with a garter stitch heel.

Three of the patterns are rated at skill level two on a scale of three, while the rest are level one. They’re all pretty straightforward, they just use different techniques you might not have tried before. Since only one is made to be toe up, there are also tips for converting the other patterns to toe up if you’d rather work that way. Each pattern includes three size options.

This book is a nice introduction to sock knitting, with lots of techniques to reference and simple patterns to take the fear out of the process. I’m not sure these are patterns you’ll come back to time and again but they are a good place to start if you’ve never knit socks before.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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