Most of the time when I think of knit shawls, I imagine ethereal lace patterns that take a million years to knit and don’t suit my lifestyle (or my actual style, for that matter). While I’d love to knit a shawl like that some day, it’s not super practical for me or what I really want to spend my time knitting.
But the fun thing about shawls is, they can be just about anything. You can make an intricate shawl that is so fine it can slide through a wedding ring (really!) or a bulky wrap to keep you warm on the coldest of days.
An Italian Winter Shawl from An Italian Knitter is closer to that second category, though it uses worsted/aran yarn rather than bulky.
It’s a simple triangle worked in garter stitch with bands of eyelets throughout, and a nice I-cord edging to pull it all together. It’s a great project to knit and to wear when the weather is cold, and if you’re stocking up on knit gifts this year, this would be a good one to add to your collection.
Because it’s a triangle, you can work the pattern in any weight of yarn you like; just keep going until the triangle is the size you want. You could also make this a stash-busting project if you wanted by changing colors after each eyelet row. I could see it in rainbow colors, or done as an ombre with lots of shades of the same color.
The shawl pattern is available as a free Ravelry download.
Looking for more garter stitch projects? Check out my roundup of garter stitch knitting patterns. Or even more garter stitch patterns! Can you tell I like this stitch even though it’s a basic as it gets?
[Photo: An Italian Knitter]
