Butterfly Shawl

This is a triangle shawl with elongated front ‘wings’, named for the lovely acrylic yarn from Hobbii.com that inspired me to create a unbirthday present for a friend.  Having finished it, of course I had to write out the pattern (which I made up as I went along, more or less).

Butterfly Shawl

For this one, I used Butterfly acrylic yarn from hobbii.com;  it’s smooth, antipill, and has a lovely hand when knitted up.  This particular yarn is colorway #1, and as I knitted away and saw how the colors would fall, I switched from green => pink to green => yellow.  Feel free to experiment and change everything about this pattern to suit your own tastes!

Yarn:  Two balls of Butterfly Acrylic, each 200g = 500m (7 oz = 547);  shawl uses about 900m.

Needles:  5.5mm circular needles (US size 9;  UK size 5)

Gauge is immaterial.  This pattern+yarn made a shawl large enough for a medium-sized woman.

Note:   On all right side rows, the edge is k2, yo (or, on the other end, yo, k2).
One all wrong side rows, the edge is k2, m1fb, or reversed on the other end.
You are increasing SIX stitches every TWO rows.

Stitches:  K = knit                                         p = purl
yo = yarn over                              m1fb = knit 1 to front and then to the back of stitch

Cast on/set up:

1. Cast on three stitches.

2. Knit six rows.

3. DO NOT TURN work to the other side. Instead, turn the work 90° clockwise (the long side);  pick up and knit three stitches (between the ridges).

4. Turn through 90° again; pick up three stitches on the cast-on edge for a total of 9 stitches.

Set up row 1 (WS – wrong side):  Knit.

Set up row 2 (RS – right side):  Knit 1, yo, knit 2, yo, knit 1, yo, knit 2, yo, knit 2.  (13 stitches)

Set up row 3 (WS):  K2, m1fb, purl to three before end, m1fb, k2.  (15 stitches)

Stocking Stitch Section: 

Row 1 (RS):  K2, yo, k to center, yo, k1, yo, k to two stitches before end, yo, k2. (Increased 4 sts)

Row 2 (WS):  K2, m1fb, purl to three before end, m1fb, k2.  (Increased 2 sts)

Repeat, ending with row 1, until you have 19 rows in stocking stitch.

Row 20 (WS):  P2, k across to center, k1 at center, k to end, p2.

Pattern rows:

Pattern row 1 (RS):  K2, yo, k2tog, continue until center stitch;  yo, k1, yo k2tog to end of row to the end two stitches, yo, k2.

Pattern row 2 (WS):  K2, k across to center, k1 at center, k to end, p2.

Color progression:

Note, all colors are already in the yarn, but I used yarn from both balls as required.  Replicating this pattern, I’d probably wind off the balls into separate colors, but that’s up to you!

Color 1 (blue):  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 1:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

Color 1 repeat:  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 1 repeat:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

Color 2 (light blue):  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 2:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

Color 3 (green):  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 3:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

Color 4 (yellow):  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 4:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

Color 5 (light rose):  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 5:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

Color 6 (dark rose):  Work Stocking Stitch Section for 20 rows.

Color 6:  Work pattern rows for two rows.

HOWEVER…

In Stocking Stitch Section #7, work for 18 rows only.  Then start

Border Section:

SSS #7, row 19 (RS) color 4:  K2, yo, k to center, yo, k1, yo, k to end, yo, k2.

Row 20 (WS) color 4:  K2, m1fb, k across to center, k1 at center, k to 3 before end, m1fb, k2.

Row 21 (RS) color 3:  K2, yo, k to center, yo, k1, yo, k to end, yo, k2.

Row 22 (RS) color 3:  K2, m1fb, k across to center, k1 at center, k to 3 before end, m1fb, k2.

Row 23 (RS) color 2:  K2, yo, k to center, yo, k1, yo, k to end, yo, k2.

Row 24 (RS) color 2:  K2, m1fb, k across to center, k1 at center, k to 3 before end, m1fb, k2.

Row 26 (RS) color 1:  K2, yo, k to center, yo, k1, yo, k to end, yo, k2.

Row 27 (RS) color 1:  K2, m1fb, k across to center, k1 at center, k to 3 before end, m1fb, k2.

Row 28 (RS) color 1:  K2, yo, k2tog, continue until center stitch;  yo, k1, yo k2tog to end of row to the end two stitches, yo, k2.

Row 29 (WS) color 1:  K2, k across to center, k1 at center, k to end, p2.

Row 30 (RS) color 1:  K2, yo, k to center, yo, k1, yo, k to end, yo, k2.

Row 31 (WS color 1:  Cast off on medium tension.

Sew in any ends… and you’re done!

Here is the pattern as a printable .pdf file:  Butterfly Shawl Pattern.