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How About a Shawl for Summer?

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Dowson triangular shawl berrocoI’ve taken a bit of a break from knitting to crochet a little scarf/shawl that might be just the thing for cool summer evenings or places with too much air conditioning (read: just about everywhere in the American south).

A simple shawl is a great summer project because you’re always shifting back and forth between hot places and cold places. Plus they’re great for travel knitting.

May I suggest Dowson by Berroco? This triangular shawl is really simple to knit, but the little lace panel at the back keeps in interesting (and provides a little ventilation). The wings keep it secure on your shoulders, and make it a little more fun than a straight triangle.

It’s worked in Folio, a blend of rayon and alpaca that has warmth and shine and comes in lots of great colors. Or use about 440 yards of any DK weight yarn in your stash.

I don’t really need another shawl, but this would be a great choice if you’re in the market for one.

[Photo: Berroco Yarns.]

 

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Looking for more amazing shawl patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

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Comments

  1. this is a very confusing post. You state you are taking a break from knitting, then show a knitted shawl. Also, where is the pattern?

Have you read?

Book Review: The Wandering Knitter

Knitting and travel are two hobbies that are highly compatible. Travel often involves waiting or time spent on planes, trains, boats, etc., time that can easily be filled by knitting, a portable and productive craft you can do most anywhere (and yes, you can take your knitting on a plane most of the time). 

Krista Ann combines knitting and traveling regularly and ended up visiting every continent in 2022 with her knitting needles along for the ride. The Wandering Knitter explores travel, knitting and learning new knitting skills no matter where you are. 

This isn’t a book for beginners, but if you’ve wanted to learn techniques like brioche, cables, lace, colorwork, mitered squares and short rows, there’s a set of more beginner level patterns followed by ones that are bigger, more detailed or required a little more skill. For example a brioche washcloth is the beginner pattern, while a brioche sweater (with unexplained exceptionally long sleeves) is the stepped up project. A basic mesh lace scarf becomes a more complex lace kerchief. A giant mitered square cowl graduates to a mitered square tote bag. 

Interspersed among the patterns are essays about traveling to different continents and what she saw there. There are also tips for traveling with your knitting and tips for reading charts, but no tutorials for knitting skills (other than a written explanation of how mosaic knitting works). 

Some of the projects would be useful to have when traveling, such as fingerless gloves, a warm headband or a colorwork hat. The travel angle is an interesting hook for a book, but I would have enjoyed essays more about specific incidents or shopping for yarn in a different country or something more than the general essays about things she’s liked and places she’d like to go back to. 

Still, if you’re looking for a skill building book that doesn’t focus on the basics but gives you some wearable, attractive accessories, this book is a good one to check out. Just maybe make the sleeves shorter if you knit the sweater. 

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 20 patterns. Published 2026 by Quarry Books. Suggested retail price $24.99.