Knit a Giant Shawl to Keep You Cozy

After sharing summer shawl knitting patterns the other day, I decided to go in completely the opposite direction for this one.

The Tigris Shawl by Olga Fahim is a big old shawl. It’s a triangle that measures 82 inches (or 210 cm) in wingspan and is 35 inches/85 cm deep at the center of the triangle.

It’s worked in stockinette stitch with a garter stitch edging, so it’s great meditative knitting you don’t have to pay that much attention to if you don’t want to.

The shawl has three color sections, including a solid section of each of the main colors and stripes that switch positions at the center of the shawl.

It’s a really striking look and not all that hard to do. This is actually a great way to practice how to knit intarsia because there’s only one color change in each row.

I love the combination of a sandy color and black on the sample, but of course you can use any two colors you want, whether they be high contrast or more coordinating. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn and here uses a camel yarn, which is a lovely luxury that’s sure to keep you warm all winter long.

And in case you’re wondering at the name, the Tigris of course is a river, and the designer says the fabric of the shawl is flowly like a river. Also using the name Tigirs is a little bit of a play on tiger for the striped section of the shawl.

If you’re in a part of the world where it’s cold now, this would be a great project to work on and snuggle under as you go. For those of us in warmer climes, it’s a great way to get ready for cooler weather ahead.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Olga Fahim]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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