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Beach Breeze is a nice relaxing shawl pattern for knitting in the car, on vacation, or at home in the back yard. The simple stitch patterns will short repeats make this shawl a good project for a beginner, too.

The name for this shawl is a combination of two related inspirations: knitting at the beach, which I love to do, and having a light layer on hand for the end of the day as the sun goes down and a breeze comes across the water.

Worked in DK yarn, the shawl grows quickly. It’s an asymmetrical triangle shape which drapes easily around your neck and shoulders. The stitch patterns include simple texture and very basic lace interspersed with sections of stockinette. The stitch pattern sections increase in width as the shawl grows to maintain a nice proportionality. It’s a straightforward pattern, with very simple repeats that are easy to learn and memorize.

Difficulty: Beginner

Skills to have (or enjoy learning) for this pattern: k2tog, p2tog, yarn over, slipped stitches, kfb, pfb.

Yarn selection: Approximately 225 - 275 grams of DK-weight yarn - This is approximately 675 - 825 yards/615 - 750 meters. The sample was worked with Malabrigo Silky Merino, a 50% silk/50% wool yarn with 150 yards (137 meters) per 50 grams. Other wool and wool-blend yarns would work well for this pattern. Blends including bamboo, cotton, or nylon could also work. The simple stitch patterns will look great with solids or tonals, but also let you highlight a densely speckled or highly variegated yarn.

Finished dimensions: Approximately 68”/170 cm along the long edge and 42”/105 cm along the short edge, with an 18”/45 cm drop from the long edge to the point, before blocking. The size can be increased considerably, depending on how assertively the shawl is blocked. The pattern also includes instructions for finishing the shawl earlier if you would like a smaller shawl or want to use less yarn.

Gauge: 20 sts and 26 rows to 4”/10 cm in stockinette stitch, unblocked. Gauge is not tremendously important, but if your gauge differs, the finished size and yarn usage may vary.

Needles: US 8/ 5.0 mm or size needed to achieve gauge. The shawl is worked flat.
It is possible to knit the shawl entirely on straight needles, but it will be more comfortable to use a long circular needle so that the stitches can spread out as the shawl grows. The sample was worked initially on a 40”/100 cm needle, switching to a 60”/150 cm long needle towards the end.

Questions? Designer email is included in the pattern.

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