A top-down triangular shawl with a repeating "grain ears" textured motif. Worked from the neck down with garter-tab start and simple, rhythmic increases to form a drapey shawl that showcases little vertical "ears" of texture. Suitable for confident advanced-beginner and intermediate knitters. Gauge after blocking affects size; adjust needle to taste for drape.
Approximate gauge: 18 sts and 28 rows = 4" / 10 cm in the Grain Ear pattern on US 8 (5.0 mm) after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this shawl; bigger needles = more drape and larger wingspan.
You can use a garter-tab CO for a neat top center. CO 3 sts. Row 1 (WS): K across. Fold back and join yarn to work a short garter tab in rows (or use waste yarn provisional tab). After forming tab of 6-12 rows of garter, pick up 3 sts from the cast-on edge and continue as below with 3 live sts on the needle (the tab occupies the neck). If you prefer, simply CO 3 and begin Row 1 (RS) below.
CO 3 sts.
Row 1 (RS - First Increase Row): k1, yo, k1, yo, k1. (5 sts)
Row 2 (WS): k all.
Repeat Row 1 and Row 2 until you have the following total stitches on needle (before beginning the main Grain Ear working section):
When you reach the target stitch count, place a removable marker just after the first stitch (this marks the beginning of the left half), and place a marker immediately after the center stitch. You should have: edge st, marker, left half sts (multiple of 6), marker, center st, marker, right half sts (same number as left), marker, final edge st. If your count is slightly off by 1 or 2, increase to the next size or add/remove one knit stitch at each edge to preserve multiples of 6 in the halves.
Work the following pattern on each half (that is, between the edge marker and the center marker). The WS rows are purled across the motif so the texture pops on the RS. Keep the edge stitches (first and last stitch of the row) in garter (knit every row) to form a finished edge.
Grain Ear (worked over 6 sts) Row 1 (RS): k2, yo, k1, ssk, k1 (yo balanced by ssk later rows; net 0) Row 2 (WS): p6 Row 3 (RS): k2, k1, yo, k1, k1 (shift the eyelet slightly) Row 4 (WS): p6 Row 5 (RS): k2, yo, k1, k2tog, k1 Row 6 (WS): p6 Repeat Rows 1-6 for pattern.
Notes on the stitch pattern: Each RS row of the motif includes one yarn-over and one paired decrease spread across the motifs so the stitch count of the motif remains 6 stitches. On WS rows purl across so the texture sits on the RS.
From now on every RS row is an increase row. Work rows as follows, keeping one garter edge stitch at each edge (the very first and last stitch on the needle) and maintaining Grain Ear repeats on each half. The center is a single stitch that is always knit on RS rows and purled on WS rows when appropriate.
RS (increase) row: k1 (edge), yo, work Grain Ear repeat across left half until 1 st remains before center marker, yo, k1 (center), yo, work Grain Ear repeat across right half until 1 st before last edge, yo, k1 (edge). WS row: k all stitches (garter across the whole row) OR p all if you prefer the WS of the texture to be purl—this pattern uses k all on WS for continuous garter edges and purl foundation in Grain Ear motifs; if you used p6 on WS within motifs above, you may purl across the motif sections on WS to keep it consistent. Repeat RS and WS rows, working the 6-row Grain Ear motif on each half, until the shawl reaches desired wingspan/depth or until you need to bind off for your chosen size.
Detailed working example to clarify placement (Short row example, not every row listed): After placing markers and starting motif, your first RS increase row after set-up looks like:
RS: k1, yo, [work first motif row across left half], yo, k1 (center), yo, [work first motif row across right half], yo, k1
Because the motif repeats are 6 sts wide, the number of repeats on each half will increase over time as new stitches are created by the edge yos. Continue to work the motif sequence in order; if you end a row with an incomplete motif at the very edge, simply work the stitches available in motif order until you hit the marker.
These row counts are approximate—measure after every 20 rows and stop when you reach the dimensions you prefer. Remember blocking will open up the fabric and increase wingspan slightly.
When you reach the desired size, bind off loosely in pattern on an RS row: work edge stitch, slip marker, yo, work motif across left half maintaining pattern, yo, k1 (center), yo, work motif across right half, yo, edge stitch; then bind off all sts loosely in pattern (k over knit sts, p over purl sts as appropriate) to preserve edge elasticity. Alternatively, bind off with a stretchy bind-off such as Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off.
This pattern is for personal use; please credit "Grain Ears Shawl by PurlJam" if you sell items made from it. For pattern support contact team@verde.uk. Visit the pattern page at https://purljam.verde.uk. Share your makes with #purljam on social media.