Valley Yarns B Basic Triangle Shawl Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns B Basic Triangle Shawl

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns B Basic Triangle Shawl is a top-down lace shawl designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This seamless, worked-flat triangular wrap measures 24 inches tall by 48 inches wide in its finished state, though dimensions can be customized to personal preference. The shawl features a geometric triangle silhouette created through strategic increases, making it an elegant accessory suitable for layering or draping.

Construction and Techniques

This shawl employs top-down construction, beginning with a small cast-on of just 7 stitches that expands dramatically through systematic increases. The design is seamless and worked flat on straight needles, eliminating the need for seaming or joining pieces. The shawl is built in two primary sections: the main body and a decorative edging.

The main body uses a straightforward increase pattern, adding 4 stitches every right-side row. Knitters work alternating stockinette rows (knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side) with increase rows that incorporate yarn overs to create the lace element. This technique produces an open, airy fabric characteristic of lace shawls. The yarn overs are strategically placed: three pairs of increases flank a center stitch marker, creating symmetrical shaping that forms the triangular silhouette.

Once the main body reaches approximately 20 inches in length (about 4 inches shorter than the desired finished length), the knitter transitions to the edging. Rather than binding off directly, the pattern instructs casting on 7 new stitches to create a decorative border. This edging is knit separately and simultaneously joined to the main body using a technique that decreases one or more main body stitches with each edging row. This method prevents a tight, restrictive bind-off edge and creates individual points along the perimeter that facilitate blocking and shaping.

Stitches and Abbreviations

The Valley Yarns B Basic Triangle Shawl utilizes fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for an advanced-beginner skill level:

• Knit (k): The basic stitch forming stockinette fabric in the main body
• Purl (p): Used on wrong-side rows to create smooth stockinette texture
• Yarn over (yo): Creates decorative holes and lace elements while simultaneously increasing stitch count
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in the edging to join new stitches with main body stitches
• Knit 3 together (k3tog): A double decrease used strategically in the edging for shaping
• Slip marker (sm): Used to track the center stitch of the shawl for symmetrical increases

Materials and Yarn Requirements

The Valley Yarns B Basic Triangle Shawl requires approximately 375 yards of yarn in lace, sock, or fingering weight. The sample garment was created using one skein of Valley Yarns Semi-Solid Hand Dyed Block Sock Yarn, which is composed of 100% merino fiber and provides 382 yards per 100 grams. The model shown was worked in the colorway Carnelian.

Needles required are US size 6 (4.0 millimeters), and one stitch marker is needed to track the center point. The recommended gauge is approximately 5.5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch, though gauge flexibility is built into the design since the shawl can be customized to any desired finished measurements.

Finishing and Blocking

After completing all rows and binding off the edging stitches, the shawl requires finishing through wet blocking. The pattern instructs pinning the wet shawl to desired measurements, with special attention to pinning each point on the edging individually. This blocking process sets the fabric, opens up the lace pattern, and allows the knitter to achieve the desired final dimensions and shape.

The pattern notes that while the decorative edging with points is the standard finish, knitters preferring straight edges may bind off the main body once it reaches desired length, omitting the edging entirely.