Shawl Shapes Series: How to Knit the Side-to-Side Shawl
🎉 Who’s keen to get into this week’s shawl shape, the Side-to-Side shawl? I certainly am!
Side-to-Side Triangle Shawl: A Versatile Classic
The side-to-side triangle shawl is a timeless shape with two clever construction options for the aspiring knitwear designer:
Incorporate the stitch patterns directly into the shawl body, or
Add a decorative border outside the increase/decrease sections (with an optional "buffer stitch" for cleaner edges).
Perfect for variegated yarns or textured stitches, this shape grows diagonally for striking visual impact. See the side-to-side comparison below.
Two-Phase Construction
Increasing Half:
Start at the tip, expanding width with right-side (RS) increases.
Uses ~50% of yarn (e.g., 50g of a 100g skein).
Decreasing Half:
Mirror the first half by switching to decreases.
Uses the remaining yarn, ending with the original stitch count.
Symmetry vs Asmmetry
The side-to-side shawl is a symmetrical shawl. Compare to it’s cousin, the asymmetrical shawl. The only difference between the two constructions is that the side-to-side shawl doesn’t have a shaping row (a decrease and increase worked on the same row to create the slanted, bias affect).
Knit swatches to compare the two
Why Knit This Shape?
✅ Yarn Efficiency: Easily divide yarn for symmetrical halves.
✅ Design Flexibility: Borders or stitch patterns adapt to any style.
✅ Mindful Knitting: The rhythmic increase/decrease sequence is meditative.
Challenge: Try a mini version first to practice the shaping!
Shape Instructions
Basic Shape (No Border)
Cast On: 3 stitches.
Increasing Phase:
Row 1 (RS): Slip 1, k1, yo, knit to end. (+1 stitch)
Row 2 (WS): Slip 1, purl to end.
Repeat until shawl reaches half your desired depth (or half yarn weight).
Decreasing Phase:
Row 1 (RS): Slip 1, k1, ssk, knit to end. (-1 stitch)
Row 2 (WS): Slip 1, purl to end.
Repeat until you’re back to 3 stitches. Bind off.
Adding a Border
Cast On: Body stitches (e.g., 3) + border stitches (e.g., 5) = 8 stitches total.
Work the Body:
Perform increases/decreases between the border and body (e.g., knit border, work shaping, knit body).
Optional: Add a buffer stitch (e.g., k1) after increases for cleaner edges.
Side-to-Side Shawl Knitting Patterns for You to Try
