Top-Down Garter Triangle Shawl
Start with a tiny garter tab and grow four stitches every right-side row. Stop whenever it’s big enough or the yarn runs out.
- Yarn
- Worsted (4); a single gradient or two colours.
- Needles
- US 9 (5.5 mm) 32 in (80 cm) circular: one size up from usual for drape
- Sizes
- Depth 22 in (56 cm) at the spine, wingspan about 62 in (157 cm)
- Example gauge
- 18 sts and 36 rows = 4 in (10 cm) in garter, after blocking
- Yarn needed
- About 710 yd (650 m) worsted. In the calculator, pick “Custom rectangle” with half the wingspan × depth (31 × 22 in) and “Garter or ribbing”.
Do the math
The examples use the gauge above. Put your own swatch into the gauge calculator first, then use your numbers in each formula.
| Step | Formula | Example | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridges to knit | depth × ridges per in | 22 × 4.5 = 99 ridges (198 rows) | By hand |
| Wingspan | about 2.8 × depth in garter | 2.8 × 22 ≈ 62 in | By hand |
| Final stitch count | 13 + 4 × ridges | 13 + 396 = 409 sts | By hand |
Materials
- Worsted (4) yarn (see yarn needed)
- US 9 (5.5 mm) 32 in (80 cm) circular: one size up from usual for drape
- 2 markers
- Tapestry needle
- Blocking pins
Gauge swatch
Garter swatch on the shawl needle, blocked. For garter, 1 stitch is about as wide as 1 ridge is tall, which keeps the triangle square-cornered.
Instructions
Garter tab
Cast on 3 sts. Knit 6 rows. Turn 90° and pick up and knit 3 sts along the side (1 per ridge), then 3 sts along the cast-on edge. 9 sts.
Set up
Row 1 (RS): K3, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1 (spine), pm, yo, k1, yo, k3. 13 sts.
Row 2 (WS): Knit.
Body
RS rows: K3, yo, knit to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, knit to last 3 sts, yo, k3. 4 sts increased.
WS rows: Knit.
Repeat until the spine measures your depth, or until you have about 10% of your yarn left for the bind-off.
Bind off
Bind off very loosely: k1, *k1, slip both sts back to left needle, k2tog tbl; rep from *. This stretchy bind-off lets you block the points.
Finishing
- Soak and pin out to a triangle, pulling the spine and the two tips.
- Weave in ends after blocking.
Designer’s notes
- Running low? Weigh your ball: each new ridge uses a bit more than the last, so stop when the remaining yarn is about 1.5 ridges’ worth for the bind-off.
- Swap in DK on US 7 for a lighter shawl: the same recipe, just more ridges.
Counter set-up
Counter 1: ridges. Counter 2: grams left (weigh the ball every 20 ridges).
Open the row & stitch counter for several counters, or use the quick one below.
Tools for this pattern
- Gauge CalculatorEnter your swatch counts to get stitches and rows per 4 in (10 cm).
- Yarn Quantity CalculatorPick the project, size and yarn weight to get total yardage and skeins to buy.
- Needle, Hook & Yarn ConvertersConvert the needle or hook size to US, UK or metric.
- Row & Stitch CounterSet up the counters listed below; the screen stays awake while you work.