Shawls are the perfect accessory for summer. Lightweight and airy, they warm you just enough when you’re in the shade. You can take them off and stash them quickly if it should get too warm. And with a pretty pin, you can even still wear them while at the seaside without it flying off. (At least here being close to the open sea means quite a lot of wind, so you do have to consider that.) On top of all that, summer shawls are just fun to knit! You don’t have to worry about fit and gauge as much. And they can be as simple or as complicated to work as you want and need.
This week I have eight beautiful, free shawl patterns for you. The needed skill level varies, so there should be something for everyone here. I hope you enjoy this!
1 – Haruni by Emily Ross
Haruni by Emily Ross
Haruni is a beautiful lace shawl. Not too big and not too small, just right to cover your shoulders. It needs a little more than one typical skein of fingering weight yarn, so keep that in mind. And I wouldn’t advise beginner (lace) knitters to try their hands on this one unless they feel very adventurous.
The pattern was originally written and published in English but has since been translated into 11 other languages.
2 – Stormy Sky Shawl by Life Is Cozy
Stormy Sky Shawl by Life Is Cozy
Another lacy, lightweight shawl knit with fingering weight yarn. This one is pretty large, so once again, you will need more than one skein. The designer Ksenia has a bunch of free patterns (not just shawls), and many of them would be suitable for a beginner knitter with a firm grasp of the basics (cast on, bind off, increases, yarn overs, decreases). Plus, I love her photographs. Check out her Ravelry page to see more of her beautiful designs.
3 – Vernal Equinox Shawl Surprise by Lankakomero
Vernal Equinox Shawl Surprise by Lankakomero
This is a breathtakingly beautiful lace shawl made of a lot of light fingering weight yarn – and therefore it is quite large. An excellent shawl for cool evenings at the seaside. But not all that easy to knit. You should have some experience in lace knitting at least and a lot of patience. The pattern is available in eight different languages.
If you like this shawl, check out her other designs. She has a lot of beautiful lace projects for you to try your hands on!
4 – Pincha Shawl by Pinpilan Wangsai
Pincha Shawl by Pinpilan Wangsai
Pincha is a fun little shawl worked in fingering weight yarn. One skein is more than enough. On top of that, you can even use one of those marvelous, colorful, hand dyed skeins that are a staple in many a knitter’s stash! It’s not the most challenging shawl to knit, but you will be working a lot of short rows, so be prepared.
5 – Lionberry by Narniel of Endor
Lionberry by Narniel of Endor
Lionberry is another small, fingering weight shawl; just large enough to cover up your shoulders. What interested me the most in were the different sections it has. Every couple of rows you knit a new motif. This is the perfect thing to entertain my brain with – lots of variety, always something new to look forward to.
If you’ve knit some lace or even a shawl or two before you should be okay with this pattern. And it doesn’t take up that much yarn. The suggested yarn has low yardage, but even of that one skein is just enough. So most fingering weight yarns, you might have in your stash should suffice.
6 – Playground Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska
Playground Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska
Justyna Lorkowska has been in my favorites on Ravelry for a while. I love her designs and her photography, they are just lovely. The Playground Shawl has been in my queue for a while. I don’t own any of those stunning, gradient-and-self-striping yarns formerly known as Caterpillargreen (I would love to have some, however) but you could easily knit this shawl with one solid color and a bunch of colorful leftovers. The pattern itself is quite easy, so you could have your fun playing with colors.
If I wouldn’t constantly be called to the swings to push Tiny Wolf or to a tree to help her climb or any other such entertainment, I might just be knitting this one on the playground as well. Alas, playground time is no knitting time for me. Maybe next year.
7 – Scrappy Bias Shawl by Emily Clawson
Scrappy Bias Shawl by Emily Clawson
Very simple and absolutely gorgeous. That’s what this shawl is. You can either use mini-skeins for it (like the designer herself) or use up leftovers of fingering weight yarn or even full skeins you alternate between. Or use a pretty gradient. The possibilities are numerous. How large you make this shawl is pretty much up to you, you can end at any point.
The simplicity of the pattern – garter stitch on a bias – makes the yarns you pick out really shine. And even a knitter who has just casting on and the knit stitch down so far could do it. You can learn how to increase, decrease and bind-off as you go! It’s a fun project for a knitter of any skill level.
8 – Nymphalidea by Melinda VerMeer
Nymphalidea by Melinda VerMeer
This pattern was originally published in the Knitty where you can still access it for free. On Ravelry, you can find a paid version of this pattern in more languages. It appeared in a Fall issue of Knitty, but I think the airiness of it makes it a fabulous shawl for summer.
This is another beautiful shawl that plays with color. The pattern itself seems not too difficult, so this should be suitable for beginner shawl knitters as well! To really make this design shine, you will need two fingering weight skeins, one solid color, and one gradient.
Will you be knitting a shawl this summer? Which design did you choose or are you still undecided? Which of these patterns did you like the most? Please let me know in the comments below.
[shameless enabling] If you should be looking for some beautiful yarn to knit any of these shawls with, check out my new resource page Recommended Dyers from All over the Internet, that I am slowly building up, or my Pinterest board Yarn where I pin everything I see, that I love! [/shameless enabling]
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