by Toni McKilligan

Created on: August 26, 2008

Shawls are making a come-back in fashion and with the knitting renaissance in full swing gorgeous shawl patterns are emerging to suit every knitter from beginner to veteran tatter!

Very popular is the prayer or healing shawl. These shawls are rectangular in shape, as opposed to the traditional triangular shawls, and are highly versatile fashion accessories. They can be casual or formal and worn either as a stole or just as a wrap to keep out the chill.

To make a simple, but attractive prayer shawl, you will need a 16 inch, size 15 (10 mm.) circular needle and 8 50 gram skeins of worsted weight yarn. Choose a soft yarn in a colour that appeals to you. Acrylic yarns are fine, but for texture and feel, a wool and silk blend will make the finished garment an absolute joy to wear. (Be sure to check the washing instructions before you buy your yarn. Most wool and wool blends require hand washing.)

The large needle will create a fabric that will drape loosely, forming gentle and comfortable folds. It will feel elegant and luxurious a real treat for the senses.

The shawl is knit in stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row), except for the border, which is done in garter stitch (knit every row) with double strands of yarn. The garter stitch border will prevent the edges from curling. It will also help to keep the shawl's shape wear after wear!

Using double strands, cast on 72 stitches.
Rows 1-10 Knit every row (garter stitch)
Row 11 (and all uneven rows) Knit across entire row
Row 12 (and all even rows) K8, purl to last 8 sts., K8.
Continue working these last two rows until the piece measures 49 inches in length
Last 10 rows Knit ever row (garter stitch)
Bind off loosely. Sew in ends.
If desired, a fringe can be added to the short edges.

Your prayer shawl is ready to be worn or given as a gift to some lucky friend or relative. Many people have their shawls blessed by their clergy for a specific purpose before they present them as gifts or donate them to charity. This is a choice you can make for yourself, but it is in keeping with the prayer shawl tradition.

This pattern can easily be altered to make a striped shawl instead of a single colour. If you happen to have left over yarns that are complimentary and compatible, a striped prayer shawl is equally lovely and a bit more interesting to knit.

Choose a main colour (MC) for the border. Choose 2 or more other colours for the stripes.
Begin as for the single coloured shawl, casting on 72 stitches and knitting the first 10 rows using MC.

Row 11 with MC K8 (do not break yarn), switch to Color 1 (C1) and knit to the last 8 sts. (do not break yarn), with new strands switch to MC and k8. Turn.

Row 12 with MC K8 (do not break yarn), pick up C1 (twist with MC to avoid a hole) and purl to last 8 sts., pick up MC (twist with C1 to avoid a hole) and k8. Turn.

Repeat these last two rows 4 more times. Break C1 and switch to C2 to knit the next 10 rows as for C1.

Continue in this manner switching colours to form stripes. You can stripe with MC as well.

Be creative. You can do the stripes in different widths or keep them all uniform. It is up to you, but make sure that you always work and even number of rows for each stripe. When the piece is the desired length, break the coloured yarn and knit the last 10 rows in MC. Sew in yarn ends and add a fringe if desired.

There should be no need to block this garment as the garter stitch border will not curl.

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