Get a Woven Look with This Mosaic Knit Shawl

When I look at this shawl I just think about fall. I know it’s coming sometime, and on one of those crisp fall mornings it would be great to have a big cuddly shawl to wear.

The Snapdragon shawl from Berroco uses two-color mosaic knitting to make a fun woven effect on the surface of the shawl. It’s a triangular shawl worked in fine weight yarn, and one of the yarns is a multicolor, which brings a lot of depth to the design without making it any more difficult to work. The fringe adds a fun touch and it’s super easy to do: you just drop a few stitches when the knitting is done, making fringe that’s actually loops.

This design does involve reading a chart, so it’s not as easy as mosaic knitting can get, but it’s still not too difficult. You only work with one color per row, and you change colors every row (working across and back counts as a row), slipping stitches as you go to bring the other color up into that row. And once you get going the pattern makes logical sense such that you might not have to rely on the chart much once you get going.

The shawl looks plenty cozy as it is, but I’m also thinking about how a worsted weight version would be for winter. If you don’t alter the design to account for bigger gauge you’d have basically knit a giant triangular blanket, which sounds pretty nice for those cold days that are no doubt coming, hard though that may be to believe right now.

If you’re new to mosaic knitting or just want to try some more patterns, check out my roundup of mosaic knitting designs. Every time I think about mosaic knitting I wish I did more of it because it’s such a fun and effective technique for adding graphical designs to a knitting project.

You can find this free pattern on the Berroco website.

[Photo: Berroco.]

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Adding eyelets to a project is a great way to make it more wearable in the summer, and these mesh and eyelet sweater patterns are perfect for summer (and beyond!) for layering.

The Inez Summer Sweater from Happy Love Co combines eyelets and dropped stitches (along with some garter and stockinette) to make a casual and fun summer sweater. The pattern is one size (56 inches or 142.24 cm) around, and is meant to be worn oversized. But it’s an easy enough pattern you could alter it to suit you without too much difficulty. It calls for worsted weight cotton yarn.

Another fun project using dropped stitches in the Stella Blouse from Thelma Steimann. It calls for a fingering weight silk yarn and is worked on larger than expected needles and also uses dropped stitches. The pattern includes eight sizes, with a bust circumference ranging from 33.5 to 51.5 inches, or 85-131 cm. You can grab a copy on Ravelry.

The Design Studio Knits has a nice summer cotton tee that uses worsted weight yarn worked on larger needles so it has a mesh effect while still being worked in stockinette stitch. It’s worked in one piece and is another one size pattern, meant to fit an actual chest measurement ranging from 34 to 46 inches (that’s 86 to 117 cm).

A similar look with a cropped shape and four available sizes comes from A Box of Twine. This one is a DK weight yarn knit on large needles and still has an oversized look (for instance the size small is 42 inches/106.68 cm at the bust). It’s worked flat so this is a great one for beginners.

If you want something a little more structured, try the Pip Cardigan from Yoko Johnston. This sport weight cardigan has an allover eyelet pattern and options to close with a zipper or buttons. It’s worked from the top down and has six size options. This one is also oversized, with finished measurements ranging from 51.5 to 64.5 inches, or 131 to 164 cm). You can find this one on Ravelry.

Or check out Endlessly by Amy Gunderson, a free pattern from Knitty. This pullover uses a cable and lace pattern that is easy to knit and to wear. It uses DK weight yarn and has nine size options. The chest measurement ranges from 34.75 to 66.75 inches, or 88.5 to 169.5 cm, and is meant to be worn with a little positive ease.

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