I love shawlettes. I made my first one last year about this time, and was hooked from the start. I love that many of them are made out of one skein of fingering weight yarn (hello, sock yarn stash!), I love that they knit up relatively quickly, I love that you can wear most of them around your shoulders OR around your neck, and I love that that versatility makes them perfect for even the non-shawl wearers on your list, who will use them as a very pretty scarf. (Need more reasons? See my “Top Ten Reasons to Love a Shawl” post from last year.)
Today, I thought I’d share some great shawlette patterns with you, as you continue making up your list of things to knit for others during this holiday season. Ravelry patterns have an (R) before them.
Lighter Weight Shawls:
(R) Whippoorwill Shawl (I’m working on this one in Madelinetosh Merino Light Tart and Fig. Love it. Are you on our Loopy Ewe Facebook page? I gave some color combination suggestions over there on Monday.)
Traveling Woman (The red one, pictured here. One of my first shawls, and a great one for newer shawl knitters.)
Multnomah (The blue-green one, pictured, and the fall-colored one, pictured. I think this was my very first one. Try this. Easy peasy and beautiful.)
Ishbel (The yellow one pictured here. I made this one this summer and love how it turned out.)
(R) Clothilde (On my list. Love the pattern lines in this one, and it calls for DK weight.)
(R) 28’s Cousin 53 (Because I like the name! And it looks fun to knit. A good one for wearing like a pretty scarf.)
(R) Shaelyn (Another one that looks fun to knit.)
All of Wendy’s Shawlettes: Argus, Chevron, Lady Bertram, Miss Woodhouse, Printemps, Seaside, Transverse, Winter’s Morn, and Woodland Walk. (Because I tried to pick just one or two and found it impossible.)
(R) Maia Shoulderette (So dainty and feminine looking.)
Seascape (I know it is meant to be all gauzy-ish – Shibui’s Silk Cloud would be lovely, but I’d also like it done up in a fingering 
weight semi-solid like Madtosh Sock.)
Citron (The multi-colored Wollmeise one pictured here. Lots of solid knitting on this one, but I do like it.)
Try these yarns: Amy Butler DK, Artyarns Regal Silk, Blue Sky Alpaca Silk or Royal, Dream in Color Everlasting, Fiber Optic, Fiberphile, Kollage Luscious (great non-wool option), Lorna’s Laces Honor or Pearl, Madelinetosh Merino Light or Sock and The Loopy Ewe Solid Series.
I could go on and on with shawlette patterns. I just love them! But I’ll stop with the lightweight ones for now.
Heavier Weight Shawls:
Mara Shawl (I made two of these and kept them both. Green/teal one, pictured here, and the navy one, also pictured.)
(R) Tesni Shawl (I keep “getting ready to” knit this one. Still not OTN. Still love it.)
Frost Diamonds (Lots of fun squares worked into this pattern.)
(R) Olatz (Just a hint of lace and it looks nice around the neck).
(R) Glimfeather (Beautiful cables, all done up in a pretty red, how could this one not be on my list? Wow.)
(R) Summer Flies (I’d love to see this done up in Black Cascade Eco Alpaca. Warm and gorgeous.)
Try these yarns: Amy Butler Aran, Aslan Trends Royal Alpaca, Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes, Cascade Eco Alpaca or 220, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, Madelinetosh Vintage, Malabrigo Worsted or Rios or Twist, and Spud and Chloe Sweater.
Of course there are all kinds of full-sized shawl pattern options out there, too, but this is supposed to be a “quick and easy” list for you. Did you find any new ones you’d like to make?
Sheri watchingmyshawlettelistgetlongerandlonger
Oh dear…. a person could just stay busy forever with all of these! Thanks for all the recommendations, Sheri – I appreciate all the work you went to getting those together!
The Holden Shawlette on Ravelry…and it’s a freebie….I live in Holden so this is on my “to do” list…
It won’t be long now until the Peppermint Mocha Lattes are in Season…
I love the shawls, too. I have made a small green Mara for St. Patrick’s Day and a regular one for right now. I used the Dragonfly Fibers sock yarn and love it!
I just wish I was a faster knitter 🙂 Never enough time.
I’m working on a Citron now out of lace weight yarn but I wanted something simple (stockinette) because I am going to use beads for the first time on the last section. Can’t wait until I get there! 🙂
Great list! I’m currently hustling to finish up a Stephen West pattern (Pogona) in WM so I can join the Whippoorwill KAL. After that, I want to make another Stephen West pattern, Flagstone, which calls for worsted weight. So many choices!!
I love these posts of yours! Who knows the patterns and what yarns to use better than you? Thank you!
I love the shawlettes, as they make neat gifts and help me “burn up” my stash! Lots of knitting going on here as I try to appease DH who doesn’t understand my need for yarn!!!! Too many projects to list, but at least 7 on needles with more planned!!!
I’ve made 2 Strange Bird (s) – one in sock and the other in classic Dream in Color – both beautiful. Also 22 Leaves shawlette – it was a KAL and I think she is expanded the pattern but it was free during the period of the KAL. That is currently on the needles in Bugga and a great knit. Thanks for the other suggestions – a few more to add to the “to do” list.
I made one out of some yarn I had on hand for the Tavern Day festival at our local historical society. I used a pattern in the Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls book that was from the bottom up because I didn’t know how far the yarn would go, and it came out great. I have worn it to work a couple of times, too, and it’s the perfect size for cozying up a snoozing kitty cat. 🙂 I am inspired to make myself more of them for exactly the reasons you state. Though I refrained from looking at these, as I already have Christmas knitting pegged and don’t want to get distracted yet.
I love the cabled one (Glimfeather says the next tab over), and I think it too could work well in a lighter weight yarn (like the Ultra Alpaca Fine or a sock yarn). I cannot really think of anything with a wingspan of 102 inches as a shawlette!
I haven’t done much lace knitting yet, just a small simple scarf and a bit of lace on a pair of socks. A shawlette would be a good next project, I think, but I must make myself wait until my Christmas knitting is done. I’m eying the Multnomah as a first one, so appreciate your recommendation. Is it really “easy peasy?” That’s what I need! I guess I could start looking for some suitable yarn…..
I’m so sorry…but I’m just cracking up at the thought of knitting summer (black) flies. 😉
(I bet it would be beautiful, but if you ever take a trip to Maine, maybe take a different shawl?)
Glimfeather, OMGoodness! Now there’s a project for a knittin gal! I, too am addicted to these little shawls. And I get to keep them all, because everyone I know wants big ones!
I am thinking about Whippoorwill too. I want to use the Dream In Color Smooshy with Cashmere from the Anniversary Kit and the October DIC club (Joy in the Morning and Ponder Dust). I just have to decide which to use as the main color and which as the trim . . .
I needed a smaller shawl that only took less than 400 yrds, since I had an expensive yarn and could only get 400 yrds of it. On Ravelry I found Little Shells, check it out, it is in my project page and made with Gaia DK from Sanguine Gryphon. love love love
I love the shawls, love to knit them, but I never use them : ( thanks for the recommendations.
Thanks for the ideas. My favorite right now is 198 yards of heaven. I knit one in lorne’s lace sock yarn & one using tofootsie. Am trying to use my shawls. Have an antique rocker that i drape one over the back
Thanks for all the great suggestions, Sheri! I’ve found shawlettes make great gifts even for people who live in warm climates (most of my relatives are still in southern California) as they give just that little bit of warmth on a chilly evening. And for those of us in colder climates, they do indeed double as great scarves.
SpiritTrail Fiberworks yarn is also beautiful when knit into shawls. Jen has great colorways and her yarns are so luxurious. So nice for that special shawlette! Anne Hanson (Knitspot) has used a few of her yarns for her patterns.
A surprisingly easy shawlette pattern that I have done and would suggest is Haruni. You can get it on Ravelry for free. Knits up beautifully in yarns from lace all the way up through worsted.
I just made Glimfeather (as a prayer shawl) for my Mom. It is truly spectacular, though I don’t think I’d call it a “shawlette,” but more of a full-blown “shawl.” Love love love the pattern… the hardest part was on my poor eyeballs, switching back and forth between the knitting and those charts! Nonetheless, it was a fun pattern — even if every row gets longer than the one before! — and I can see myself doing it again someday.