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Project Notebook: Boneyard Shawl

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boneyard shawl wipThere are certain knitting patterns that it seems like everyone has knit, that are classics even if they haven’t been around that long.

But because I spend a lot of my time designing knitting projects (and writing books), I haven’t had time to knit a lot of those projects that “everyone else” has done.

So over the weekend I decided to remedy that in some small way by casting on, finally, for a Boneyard.

If you don’t happen to know this pattern, it’s a super simple, really pretty, mostly Stockinette triangular shawl worked from the tip out. Designed by Stephen West, it’s a free pattern on Ravelry, where as of this writing there are 5,826 projects and it’s in 6,354 queues. (I haven’t added mine to that count yet.)

It’s easy to see why this is such a popular pattern, because it’s relatively mindless once you get going, and because the design is so simple you can use a lot of different kinds of yarn. Mine is Malabrigo Rios that I’ve had for a long time and am so glad to be using because it is luscious.

I couldn’t keep to my selfish knitting for long, but I hope to get at least one day a week where I feel like I can spend some time with it. It’s like a knitting holiday.

Have you ever knit a Boneyard? How did it go?

What’s on your needles? I’d love to hear about it! Or see it on Instagram.

 

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

Comments

  3. Dangit. One more I gotta try. Currently working a super simple triangle shawl in navy. Just finished a simple “lacy” navy scarf. I recently discovered that while I have lots of bright and cute scarfs and hats I had no basics like navy, black and red.

Have you read?

Book Review: Knit an Heirloom Blanket

It’s kind of coincidental that I recently posted about patchwork blanket knitting patterns right before reviewing a book that makes a patchwork blanket, but this one would also be a great choice if you’re looking to bust some stash and learn a lot about colorwork knitting at the same time. 

Knit an Heirloom Blanket by Annah O’Leary includes charted designs for 50 colorwork blocks worked flat that can be combined to make a blanket or used in other projects. The book calls for worsted weight yarn but also offers suggestions for using fingering, DK or even bulky yarn, which will give you blocks of different sizes.

It opens with a section on materials and tips for choosing colors and maintaining contrast among blocks across a large project. There’s also information on how to read charts and colorwork basics such as maintaining tension, measuring gauge, catching floats, holding yarn and yarn dominance, among other things.

There are 196 squares (14 by 14) in the blanket shown on the cover, which, including the edging, makes for a blanket that’s about 79 inches, or 200 cm square knit in worsted weight yarn. You can adjust the size as needed by working more or fewer blocks, especially if using a different weight of yarn. 

The sample was worked in Cascade 220 and the book includes the amounts of yarn used in each color so you can knit a blanket exactly as shown. Or use stash and leftovers from other projects to make a possibly less harmonious but more meaningful project. 

Colorwork patterns are arranged into 10 themes: flowers, tiles, diamonds, stripes, peaks, woven, sky, leaves, lovestruck and architecture. They’re also rated by skill level on a range of 1 to 3 balls of yarn. If you’re newer to knitting or colorwork in particular, you can start with the easier squares and move up as you build more skills. 

Each pattern is shown as a large black and white chart with three or four possible color variations, though or course you can also go your own way on the colors. There’s also a knit sample of each block pictured at the beginning of each pattern section.

There’s also a section to help you finish your blanket, including tips for weaving in ends, blocking, joining squares and adding a border. She also suggests different project sizes and color palettes for smaller scale projects.

In addition to the big blanket there are five other project ideas including a baby blanket made of 6 by 8 squares, a hot water bottle cover, a couple of pillows and a wall hanging. These are sure to give you ideas of different ways to use the blocks in other projects. 

Knit an Heirloom Blanket includes lots of fun colorwork blocks and ideas for using them that are sure to appeal to those new to colorwork as well as those with more experience. Even if you never knit a full blanket with them, you can add these motifs to your collection to work in other projects. 

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 50 charts and 6 patterns. Published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $25.99.