Triangle shawls are popular knitting patterns. They can be knit in so many different ways and can include many different stitch patterns and colors – the options are limitless.
One method for knitting a triangle shawl is sideways from tip to tip. To knit a shawl using this method:
- Cast on a few stitches.
- Work an increase along one edge as you knit each row.
- When it’s as deep as you want you can work a few rows even or begin decreasing.
- Decrease at the same rate as you worked the increases.
- When you’re back down to a few stitches, cast off.
While those are the very basic instructions, there are so many more things to consider (and many ways to add variety to this one shape).
Construction of a Triangle Shawl Knit Sideways
A tip-to-tip sideways shawl starts by casting on a few stitches, knitting each row, and working increases along one edge. When the triangle is as deep as you want it to be, you begin decreasing along that same edge. Working increases and decreases along that one side creates the triangle shape for the tip-to-tip sideways shawl. The image below demonstrates this process:
You can easily change the depth of the shawl by adjusting the rate of increasing and decreasing along that edge.
- For a standard shawl, work an increase every right-side row.
- For a deeper triangle, work increases on every row.
- For a shallower triangle (and a long wingspan), work increases every other right-side row.
Of course, you’ll want to make a swatch to determine the final shape that you want for your sideways triangle shawl.
Knitting Instructions for a Tip-to-Tip Shawl
Here are the basic instructions for a Garter stitch sideways triangle shawl:
- Cast on 3 stitches.
- Set-up row: Knit 1, increase, knit 2.
- Row 1 (WS): Knit.
- Row 2 (RS): Knit 1, increase, knit to end. (1 stitch increased)
Repeat Rows 1-2, using the increase of your choice, knitting until the shawl has reached the desired depth. Of course you can change the depth by changing the rate of increase (increase every row for a deep triangle or every other right side row for a shallow triangle).
If desired, work a few rows without increasing (work straight on RS and WS rows) and then use the decreasing instructions below.
- Row 1 (WS): Knit.
- Row 2 (RS): Knit 1, decrease, knit to end. (1 stitch decreased)
Repeat the decreasing rows, working until the shawl has decreased to 3 stitches. Bind off.
It’s really as simple as that – but there’s so much more you can do with this shape once you understand its basic construction.
Get the Pattern
Fill in the form below to get access to the FREE Resource Library – and get a copy of the Tip-to-Tip Triangle Shawl pattern ‘recipe’.
Modify the Pattern
The instructions above will produce a Garter stitch tip-to-tip shawl since you are knitting every row. If you prefer a Stockinette shawl, you would purl on the wrong-side rows.
One thing to note – Stockinette tends to curl so be sure to add a small border to both edges to keep the Stockinette from rolling. If you want to do this, replace the wrong-side rows with this instruction and you’ll have a shawl with a Stockinette body and a simple 3-stitch Garter edge:
- Row 1 (WS): Knit 3, purl to final 3 stitches, knit 3.
Because of this easy shape, it’s simple to add another stitch pattern so don’t think you have to stick with Garter stitch or Stockinette. Establish your stitch pattern and then, as you increase along the edge, work those new stitches into the stitch pattern. And, when you start decreasing, maintain the pattern as much as possible. This is another good time to try a swatch to make sure it will work out the way you want.
Adding Color & Texture
Besides the background stitch, the easiest adjustments to make are color and simple texture.
There are so many ways to add interest with color:
- Choose a gradient yarn that will do all the color changing for you.
- Work small or wide stripes in Garter stitch.
- Fade from one color to another, alternating between colors at intervals to ‘fade’ from one color to another.
- Add a few small sections of a simple slip-stitch or Mosaic pattern.
You can also add texture easily by working eyelets along one edge or at set rows along the body of the shawl. Or alternate sections of Garter stitch with sections of Stockinette. This doesn’t really require any extra preparation. But if you want something a little more involved, try adding a stitch pattern (see the next section for more information).
Charting a Stitch Pattern
If you want to use a more involved pattern like cables or lace, then charting out the design to see how it will look is a good idea. The image below shows how a basic Stockinette background would look – and how you could use that space to add a stitch pattern. There are a few ways to add a pattern stitch:
- Work in your preferred background stitch (like Garter or Stockinette) until you have enough space to incorporate a full repeat of the stitch pattern you’ve chosen.
- Figure out how to add partial repeats of the stitch pattern to fill in more of the background space.
A chart is really a great way to work out any stitch pattern, because it gives you a visual of how the finished shawl will look and it gives you some space to experiment and try out a stitch you might not have considered. You can get a free copy of the chart below for your own experimentation – just fill out the form above.
Adding a Border or Edging
Another great option with this type of shawl construction is adding borders or edgings.
If you’re working a Stockinette shawl, you’ll want a border at each edge to keep it from curling. While the basic instructions above show you how to add a simple Garter stitch border, there are plenty of other choices. Try a simple eyelet edging or I-Cord or even a small cable along the top edge of the shawl (the neckline).
I love using this shawl construction and adding a patterned border along the increase/decrease edge. To do this, choose your edging pattern (something that can be worked parallel to the body of the shawl). Cast on three stitches for the body of the shawl (as instructed above) and also cast on enough stitches to work the border. You will work the edge stitches, increase, then work the body of the shawl.
This is a good way to work the shawl body in a basic stitch and then add some extra interest with a border. It’s much easier to add a border than try to integrate a stitch pattern into the body of the shawl. So if you are new to this construction method, this is a great starting point if you want to design your own shawl.
Yarn for Shawl Knitting
Now that you know all the basic information you’ll need to knit your own tip-to-tip sideways triangle shawl, you’ll need to get some yarn and start knitting. The table below will give you a rough estimate for the amount of yarn you’ll need. The smaller number will create a small shawlette and the larger number will create a larger shawl.
| Yarn Weight | Yardage Estimate |
|---|---|
| Fingering | 500-800 yards |
| Sport | 450-750 yards |
| DK | 400-700 yards |
| Worsted | 350-600 yards |
But if you have a set amount of yarn that you want to use, this shawl is the perfect choice with a few simple calculations:
- Weigh the yarn on a kitchen scale and make a note of the weight.
- Start the shawl, working the increase section until you’ve used half (or slightly less than half) of the yarn, weighing the remaining yarn as you knit.
- Begin working the decrease section with that remaining half.
As far as the fiber content of the yarn, the sky is the limit. Choose wool or alpaca and knit a warm and cozy shawl. Try a silk and wool blend for something that will drape beautifully. Or give a plant fiber like pima cotton or bamboo a try for a lightweight summer shawlette.
Now you’re ready to knit your own sideways triangle shawl!
If you want to see this basic construction method in action, watch this video:
Sideways Triangle Shawl Knitting Patterns
Ready to cast on? These ten patterns all use a sideways construction, and they show just
how much you can do with it, from simple Garter stitch to cable borders, lace edgings,
and mosaic colorwork. The first five are knit tip to tip, just like the method above. The last
five use a second sideways method with a center spine.
- Early Winter by Laura Aylor
- Kyna by Lucy Hague
- Milena by Lisa Hannes
- Semele by Åsa Tricosa
- Kirra by Ambah O’Brien
- Rift by Laura Aylor
- Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry
- Myndie by Ambah O’Brien
- Nasha by Craftdoodling
- Birds of a Feather by Andrea Mowry
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Tip to Tip Shawls
Early Winter
Early Winter by Laura Aylor is a great beginner shawl if you’re new to tip-to-tip triangle shawl patterns. It’s worked in Garter stitch with some fun color changes and some eyelets to add some decorative elements. The shawl uses sport-weight yarn and even includes a basic schematic that you can color in to create your own color block combinations.
Pattern details: Early Winter
Get the yarn: Cascade 220 Sport
Kyna
Kyna by Lucy Hague is worked in Stockinette for the body of the shawl and adds a beautiful traveling twisted stitch border along the increase/decrease edge. The twisted stitch pattern has a Garter stitch background for even more interesting texture and it is offset by eyelets between the shawl body and the border as well as a decorative eyelet border. The other edge of the shawl also features a decorative eyelet edging.
Pattern details: Kyna
Get the yarn: Sock Yarn like Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock
Milena
Milena by Lisa Hannes also uses the same tip-to-tip sideways triangle constructions and cables but it’s completely different from the shawl above. This shawl includes a chunky rope cable along the top edge of the shawl as well as along the border. The body of the shawl is worked in a Garter stitch background with a slipped-stitch pattern that is only enhanced by the basic background.
Pattern details: Milena
Get the yarn: DK weight Merino Wool like Sweet Georgia Superwash DK
Semele
Semele by Åsa Tricosa features a beautiful leafy lace edging along the border and a similar motif along the neck edge of the shawl. Both patterns are offset by eyelet edges and the body of the shawl is worked in Stockinette stitch so all the focus is on the beautiful lace patterns. While the pattern instructions mention lace weight and fingering weight yarn, the designer also mentions how to change the yarn weight and still work the pattern.
Pattern details: Semele
Get the yarn: Cascade Heritage Silk
Kirra
Kirra by Ambah O’Brien uses an all-over geometric mosaic design worked in two colors. The design is knit in Garter stitch and uses a simple Garter stitch border. With two skeins of fingering weight yarn you can easily create a beautiful shawl. Mosaic colorwork is a great option for knitters that are new to color knitting. While it uses two colors, you are only ever using one color at a time. The second color is slipped while knitting across the row and this creates the mosaic designs.
Pattern details: Kirra
Get the yarn: Single Ply Merino Fingering weight yarn like Malabrigo Mechita
Sideways Shawls with a Center Spine
Another way to knit a sideways triangle shawl uses increases at both edges (instead of just along one edge) but adds a double decrease in the middle. This double decrease creates a ‘spine’ along the center of the shawl. After the shawl depth is as deep as you want, the stitch count stays the same but stitches are slowly shifted from one side to another. After all the stitches have shifted over, the shawl is bound off to create the final edge of the triangle. The video above shows this method as well.
Rift
Rift by Laura Aylor is a simple design worked in Garter stitch. If you want to focus on the construction without too much additional patterning, this is a good choice. It’s worked in one solid color (the sample uses white) and has a few small stripes worked in bold colors and eyelets for a small decorative detail. Those small stripes are small enough that it would be a great way to use up any leftover yarns.
Pattern details: Rift
Get the yarn: Malabrigo Mechita
Find Your Fade
Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry is a popular pattern. It uses a large amount of yarn (it’s really a BIG shawl) but in a fun way. If you want to work on a fading project with lots of different yarns, this is the project you’ll want to try. The pattern is easy to follow – it’s worked in Garter stitch with some sections of simple lace but the real star of the show is the color. By slowly ‘fading’ from one color to another, you can create some beautiful color play.
Pattern details: Find Your Fade
Get the yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Myndie
Myndie by Ambah O’Brien is a great choice if you want some color but don’t want to do all the color changes yourself. Instead, select a gradient yarn and work this simple pattern. It’s knit in a simple Garter stitch background with rows of eyelets for some interest. The central ‘spine’ helps give the final shawl it’s arrow-like direction. The pattern uses a fingering weight yarn and US 5 needles for nice drape for the finished shawl.
Pattern details: Myndie
Get the yarn: Gradient Merino Fingering weight like Sweet Georgia Mohair Silk Sock
Nasha
Nasha by Craftdoodling is a beautiful lace shawl following this central decrease asymmetrical triangle shawl construction. There are sections of Garter stitch, eyelets, and bands of pretty lace flowers. While the lace adds a nice finished decorative element, it’s interspersed with simple Garter stitch so it is still a fairly simple design that would be easy to knit. If you have a single skein of fingering weight yarn that you’ve stashed away, this might be a good knitting pattern for that favorite yarn.
Pattern details: Nasha
Get the yarn: Fingering weight sock yarn like Malabrigo Sock
Birds of a Feather
Birds of a Feather by Andrea Mowry is the ultimate in luxury shawls in this category. With the addition of sections of mohair, you can knit a cozy, beautiful, soft shawl. It follows this basic construction with sections of Garter stitch, simple lace panels, and those beautiful sections of mohair. This oversized shawl requires three skeins of yarn – two skeins of fingering weight yarn for most of the body of the shawl, and a skein of lace-weight mohair for the mohair sections of the shawl.
Pattern details: Birds of a Feather
Get the yarn: Fingering weight merino like Malabrigo Sock and lace weight mohair & silk blend like Austermann Kid Silk
Recommended Resources for Shawl Knitting
- Custom Shawls for the Curious & Creative Knitter by Kate Atherley and Kim McBrien Evans (available on Amazon)
- Knit Shawls & Wraps in One Week by Marie Greene (available on Amazon)
- The Magic of Shetland Lace Knitting by Elizabeth Lovick (available on Amazon)
- Knitting Modular Shawls, Wraps & Stoles by Melissa Leapman (available on Amazon)
More Articles about Knitting Triangle Shawls
- 12 Beginner Shawl Knitting Patterns
- How to Knit a Bottom up Triangle Shawl
- How to Knit an Asymmetrical Triangle Shawl (Two Ways!)