Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knit a Lace Shawl for Cooler Weather

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One thing about lace knitting is that, because it is so often done on fine yarn with tiny needles, it usually takes a long time to knit and also might not be the best thing to wear in terms of warmth when the weather gets colder.

This project takes care of both of those things by being a big shawl worked on heavier weight yarn than you might usually expect for lace, though it’s still light enough to keep some of the ethereal nature of lace while also being cozier to wear throughout the year.

Heavy Lace Dionne by Jeanette Sloan is a heavier weight version of her original Dionne Shawl.

Worked with a sport weight yarn, it’s still not super heavy, but you’ll feel the difference in the speed of the knitting and the warm factor when you wear it. Because this is a large shawl — it’s a triangle that’s 97.5cm (38.5 in) long and and 156.5 cm (61.5 in) wide — it gives lots of coverage and coziness.

And because lace projects are often worked on larger needles than you would expect for the weight of yarn, you’ll enjoy cruising through this project on size 7 US/4.5 mm knitting needles. Which actually makes this a pretty good option for a first large lace knitting project, because you don’t have to worry about tiny yarn and needles.

One fun twist on this one is that you can choose the edging that goes along the side of the shawl and is knit as you go. There are instructions for doing a slip stitch edging and a ribbed edging, and these are both shown in charts so you can see how the setup is different and how it integrates with the lace pattern. And it has tassels at the corners if you’re into that sort of thing.

You can grab a copy of this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Jeanette Sloan]

Comments

  1. Hi Sarah,

    I just wanted to stop by and thank you for pointing people to my Heavy Lace Dionne shawl pattern on Ravelry. I love what you’ve written about it because as the designer it sums up exactly what I was hoping knitters would get out of knitting it. For me, lace knitting is much more than cobweb weight yarns and Dionne is definitely one of my favourites.

    Sending you the warmest of wishes,

    Jeanette

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.