Knit a Shawl Fit for an Italian Winter

February 10, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

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]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Unsolved Mysteries Sweater Pattern

Before there were true crime podcasts, there was Unsolved Mysteries. The show’s original run, from 1987 to 2002, introduced generations to the documentary style true crime format, complete with dramatic re-enactments. The show touched on all sorts of unexplained events, from theories about alien abduction and ghosts to more mundane missing persons cases.

It’s kind of a cult classic that’s been rebooted and re-invigorated several times, though the original is of course the best.

If you’re nostalgic for the olden days of crime television, you can knit yourself an Unsolved Mysteries sweater with the classic logo from the series on it.

Designed by Cecilia Calles, this boxy, cropped sweater uses stranded colorwork knit flat to make the logo. The body is worked from the top down flat, beginning with the back panel. The front is then picked up from the shoulders and worked flat with the logo added. Pieces are joined at the side seams so you can work the collar and the sleeves in the round, and tubular bind offs add a polished look.

The design is available in one size, but it would be pretty easy to modify to make a sweater to fit you. Or just add the chart to a plain sweater pattern that you like and that fits you for a bit of vintage true crime flair.

This version is worked in fingering weight yarn and uses four colors. It is rated for intermediate to advanced knitters because of the colorwork and bind off techniques. But I think it would be a lot of fun to knit and your true crime watching/listening buddies are sure to love it! (I would totally wear this for viewings of Only Murders in the Building, if I wasn’t wearing a Mabel Sweater, anyway!)

You can find the pattern at Cecilia’s Etsy shop, Weirding Module.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply