The Auklet Shawl Knitting Pattern

Auklets are seabirds that live in coastal zones of the northern Pacific and the Bering Sea. They’re funny little round things, and some of them have delightful feather tufts on their heads. Cassin’s auklets, a small, all-black bird with big, sparkly eyes, like to nest on several of the Channel Islands near where I live. Whenever we’re by the ocean, I love watching the sea birds, so it felt right to name this shawl after some of them.

Arrow

The Auklet Shawl is an asymmetrical triangle shawl with one column of simple cables snaking up the straight edge of the shawl. As the shawl grows outward to the left, new columns of slipped stitches are added in at regular intervals, making the pattern very easy to memorize. This shawl is knit using about 800 yards of fingering-weight yarn, or two skeins of your favorite hand-dyed treasures.

Size

The finished Auklet Shawl is 43” (109 cm) long by 33” (84 cm) at its widest point.

Yarn and Yardage

This pattern uses 750-800 yds (686-732 m) of fingering weight yarn.  I knit this sample in Less Traveled Yarn Singles (100% superwash merino, 400 yds/366m per 3.5oz/100g).

Tools and Needles

You'll need one set of 32"/80cm circular needle (suggested needle size: US 4/3.5mm), plus pptional stitch markers between pattern repeats, and a cable needle, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Techniques

The Auklet Shawl is a good pattern for adventurous beginners to intermediate knitters. It uses cables and slipped stitches to create the design.  Test knitters reported that the first repeat of the cable was a slight challenge (just enough to not make great tv knitting), and afterward, the shawl flew along. I designed this shawl to be a mellow knit that only requires you to pay the slightest attention every ten stitches or so.

Similar Patterns

- The Plenitude Shawl, another asymmetrical triangle shawl with lots of texture and an easily memorized repeat. - The Anacapa Scarf, which features slightly more complex cables that can help you grow as a cable knitter and strengthen your skills. - The Madeleine Hat DK, with simple cables and textured panels to complement your shawl.

Curious to learn more about knitting or to dig deeper into the Auklet Shawl? Click on through for tutorials, free patterns, technique tips, and more.

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