Caravel Shawl Wrap Knitting Pattern

Caravel Shawl in Berroco Quinoa

What Is Being Made

The Caravel Shawl is an intermediate-level triangular wrap designed by Amy Christoffers. This downloadable knitting pattern produces a finished shawl measuring approximately 72 inches across the top and 21 inches down the center, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering or wearing as a traditional wrap.

Yarn and Materials

This shawl is crafted using Berroco Quinoa yarn, a premium fiber choice that provides beautiful drape and stitch definition. The pattern requires 3 balls of Berroco Quinoa in colorway #1055 Cayenne, with each ball weighing 50 grams. A 32-inch circular needle in size 8 (5.00 mm) is used for construction, along with a tapestry needle for finishing. The recommended gauge is 15.5 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in the charted pattern, and checking gauge before beginning is strongly advised to ensure proper finished dimensions.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

The Caravel Shawl employs a charted pattern construction method, beginning with a small cast-on of just 5 stitches. The shawl grows progressively through strategic increases worked from a stitch chart, creating the characteristic triangular silhouette. The pattern is worked from the wrong side initially, with specific directional instructions for reading the chart on right-side and wrong-side rows.

The construction involves working Rows 1 through 31 once, then repeating Rows 20 through 31 nine additional times. During each repeat, the stitches outlined in red on the chart are worked multiple times—once during the first repeat, three times during the second repeat, five times during the third repeat, and so on—creating an expanding geometric pattern. This technique builds the shawl to a final stitch count of 279 stitches.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Caravel Shawl utilizes several essential knitting stitches and techniques:

• Knit and purl stitches form the foundation of the charted pattern, with orientation changing based on whether rows are worked on the right side or wrong side
• Yarn overs (YO) create the lacy, open qualities characteristic of shawl designs and contribute to the pattern's visual interest
• Knit two together (k2tog) decreases that shape the shawl and balance the yarn overs
• Slip, slip, knit (SSK) decreases that lean in the opposite direction, providing balanced shaping throughout the design

Finishing Methods

After completing the charted pattern repeats, the knitter works 5 rows of stockinette stitch even before binding off. The pattern specifies a sewn bind-off, a refined finishing technique that creates an elastic, professional edge. This method involves breaking the yarn and threading it through a tapestry needle, then drawing the yarn through pairs of stitches in a specific sequence to bind off all stitches without using a traditional cast-off method. Once all stitches are bound off, ends are woven in and the shawl is blocked to finished dimensions, which sets the stitches and enhances the drape of the Berroco Quinoa yarn.