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IntermediateFree Shawl Knitting Pattern
You can purchase this shawl from my Etsy shop.
This stylish Brioche shawl features an asymmetrical design. It’s a lot of fun to knit.
The shawl is knitted in 2-color brioche stitch. It is worked sideways from the pointy end. Using self-striped yarn for LC or DC will give your shawl additional visual interest.
Skills Required/Technique Used:
To knit this shawl, you have to know how to knit 2-color brioche stitch and make brioche decreases and increases.
Size: width 88” (220 cm), depth 22” (56 cm)
Materials: Knit Picks (affiliate link) Palette fingering weight yarn (100% wool), 231 yds (210 m)/ 50 g, color white - 4 balls (LC)
Knitting Fever (affiliate link) Painted Desert fingering weight yarn (100% wool), 437 yds (400 m)/100 g, color 04 – 2 balls (DC)
Needles: US #2 (2.75 mm) circular needles.
Gauge:
22 sts x 24 rows = 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm) In 2-color brioche st:
Note, that 1 row of brioche consists of 1 row of light color yarn (LC) and 1 row of dark color yarn (DC)
Pattern Notes
Abbreviations
Please note that I use Nancy Marchant terminology for brioche stitch. I highly recommend her books Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch and Knitting Fresh Brioche: Creating Two-Color Twists & Turns, as well as her lessons on craftsy.com.
yf - yarn forward: bring the yarn to the front, between the tips of the needles.
yb - yarn back: take the yarn to the back, between the tips of the needles.
sl1yof - slip 1, yarn over, yarn to front: with working yarn in front, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch, then bring yarn back around to the front, ready to purl the following stitch.
yfsl1yo - yarn forward, slip 1, yarn over: bring the working yarn between the tips of the needles to front of work, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch. Leave yarn in back, ready to knit the next stitch.
brk - brioche knit: knit the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
brp - brioche purl: purl the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
br4st-inc – brk1, yo, brk1, yo, brk1 into the same stitch: 1 stitch increased to five.
br4st-dec –brioche 4 st decrease (worked over 5 sts, 4 sts dec): slip first brioche st knitwise, slip brp st knitwise, place next brioche st on cable needle or stitch marker and hold in front of work, knit next st on LH needle, pass slipped brp st on RH needle over (1 st dec), move st to LH needle, pass next brioche st over (1 st dec), move st to RH needle, pass first slipped brioche st over (1 st dec), move st from marker to LH needle, move st on RH needle to LH needle and pass held brioche sts over (1 st dec), move st back to RH needle.
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
LC – light color
DC- dark color
k – knit
p – purl
sl1 – slip 1 (knitwise for the 1st stitch in a row).
Two-Color Brioche Stitch – Basic Instructions
These instructions are included as a guide to the technique, and as instructions for swatching.
A single brioche row is worked in two passes, one in light color (LC) and the other in dark color (DC). Both colors are worked in one direction, then the work is turned and both colors are worked in the other direction. Both sides (RS and WS) of the project is first worked in light color (LC) yarn, then in dark color (DC) yarn.
Odd number of stitches
Set-up row (LC): k1, *sl1yof, p1, rep from *, to last 2 sts, sl1yof, p1. Do not turn, slide work to the other end of the needle.
Set-up row (DC): sl1, yb, *brk1, yfsl1yo, repeat from * to last 2 sts, brk1, yb, sl last st. Turn.
Row 1 (LS, LC): k1, *yfsl1yo, brk1, repeat from * to last 2 sts, yfsl1yo, k1. Do not turn, slide work to the other end of the needle.
Row 1 (LS, DC): sl1, yf, *brp1, sl1yof, repeat from * to last 2 sts, brp1, yb, slip last st. Turn.
Row 2 (DS, LC): p1, *sl1yof, brp1, repeat from * to last 2 sts, sl1yof, p1. DO not turn, slide work to the other end of the needle.
Row 2 (DS, DC): sl1, yb, *brk1, yfsl1yo, repeat from * to last 2 sts, brk1, yf, sl last st. Turn.
Chain Selvedge
When working the selvedge stitches at the beginning and the end of the row, at the start of the LC rows, always bring LC under the DC.
Binding Off
I use the Invisible Ribbed Bind Off method described on p. 197 of the book “Cast On, Bind Off. 54 Step-by-Step Methods” by Leslie Ann Bestor, Storey Publishing 2012. This is a type of sewn bind-off and creates a flexible edge.
Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn bind off works well, too.
Short Overview of the Pattern:
The shawl begins from the pointy end with a series of 4-st-decreases in the center of the working piece in every 4th row and 2-st-increases at the beginning and the end of each LS row until the required width. Then the shaping of the shawl is achieved with 2-st-increases only at the beginning of the row and 4-st-decreases at the central stitch, which is going to shift towards the end of the LS row. This continues until the central stitch shifts to the very end of the row. Then all the stitches are bound off.
SHAWL
Using 2 strands of yarn (LC and DC), cast on 3 sts.
Setup Row (DS LC): k1, p2. 3 sts.
Setup Row (DS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 1 (LS, LC): sl, br4st inc, p1. 7 sts.
Row 1 (LS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, p1) 3 times.
Row 2 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brp, p1.
Row 2 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 3 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, brkyobrk, p1. 11 sts.
Row 3 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times.
Row 4 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 4 times, brp, p1.
Row 4 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 4 times, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 5 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, yf sl1yo, br4st-dec, yf sl1yo, brkyobrk, p1.
Row 5 (LS DC): repeat row 3.
Row 6 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 4 times, brp, p1.
Row 6 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 4 times, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 7 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 3 times, yf sl1yo, brkyobrk, p1. 15 sts.
Row 7 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) 4 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times.
Row 8 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 6 times, brp, p1.
Row 8 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 6 times, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 9 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, br4st-dec, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, brkyobrk, p1.
Row 9 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) 4 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times.
Row 10 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 6 times, brp, p1.
Row 10 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 6 times, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 11 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 5 times, yf sl1yo, brkyobrk, p1. 19 sts.
Row 11 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) 6 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times.
Row 12 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 8 times, brp, p1.
Row 12 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 8 times, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 13 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, work as est to 2 stitches before the central st, br4st-dec, work as est to the last 2 sts, brkyobrk, p1.
Row 13 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) repeat to the last 4 sts, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times.
Row 14 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) repeat to the last 2 sts, brp, p1.
Row 14 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) repeat to the last 2 sts, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 15 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, (yf sl1yo, brk) repeat to the last 3 sts, yf sl1yo, brkyobrk, p1. 23 sts.
Row 15 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) repeat to the last 4 sts, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times.
Row 16 (DS LC): , (brp, yf sl1yo) repeat to the last 2 sts, brp, p1.
Row 16 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) repeat to the last 2 sts, yf sl1yo, p1.
Repeat rows 13-14 37 (thirty seven) more times or to desired width of the shawl.
Now, continue to work 2-st brioche increase only at the beginning of every LS LC row and br4st-decrease in every other LS LC row over the same stitch at follows:
Row 165 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, work as est to 2 stitches before the central st, br4st-dec, work as est to the last st, p1. 169 sts.
Row 165 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) repeat to the last 2 sts, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 166 (DS LC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) repeat to the last 2 sts, brp, p1.
Row 166 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) repeat to the last 2 sts, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 167 (LS, LC): sl, brkyobrk, (yf sl1yo, brk) repeat to the last st, p1. 171 sts.
Row 167 (LS DC): sl, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) repeat to the last 2 sts, yf sl1yo, p1.
Row 168 (DS LC): , (brp, yf sl1yo) repeat to the last 2 sts, brp, p1.
Row 168 (DS DC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) repeat to the last 2 sts, yf sl1yo, p1.
Repeat rows 165-168 until the br4st-dec moves to the end of the LS row.
Bind off all the stitches. See pattern notes.
Finishing
Weave in yarn ends. Block.
Have fun!
