This Free Easy Beginner Knitting Pattern is so soft, easy, and fast to work up and is made with one skein of Bernat Velvet Yarn in Smokey Violet (paid link), a super soft, bulky weight chenille-type yarn, but it can be made with any weight or type of yarn. This shawl is perfect for a beginner or a relaxing mindless knit, as it is primarily garter stitch, with photo and video tutorial for the basic knit front and back increase used, as well as a photo tutorial for the optional fringe tassels. Make yourself the softest shawl ever! to cozy up in, or make one as a hug for a loved one. If you’re more of a visual learner, scroll down to see the full YouTube tutorial for the pattern!
MATERIALS:
- 1 skein Bernat Velvet Yarn in Smokey Violet (paid link), #5/bulky weight yarn. 10.5 oz/ 315 yards per skein, or any other Bulky Weight yarn.
- Any yarn may be used, but your yardage required will vary.
- Some other similar chenille-type yarns: Bernat Blanket, Bernat Baby Velvet, Lion Brand Vel-luxe, Yarn Bee Velvety Smooth, Premier Retro Velvet, Premier Parfait, Sirdar Smudge, Lion Brand Feels Like Butta (some of these yarns are not #5 bulky, so yardage required will vary.)
- #10 (6.0 mm) knitting needles or any size needles to get the fabric you prefer. I used circular needles to accomodate the large number of stitches, but you can use long straight needles if you prefer.
- Large crochet hook for the tassels (optional). I used a 10 mm hook.
NOTE 4/2020: Since publishing this pattern, I’ve gotten some mixed feedback regarding this yarn being difficult to work with. While I have not had problems knitting with it and chenille yarns are some of my favorite yarns to work with due to their shine and softness, I wanted to emphasize that this pattern can be worked with any bulky weight yarn or any weight yarn–just adjust your needle size.
Size:
Approximately 60 inch wingspan by 27 inch depth, without fringe. The Bernat Velvet yarn combined with garter stitch stretches out quite a bit with use, making it great for big, comfy shawls.
Stitches Used:
- Cast on (CO)
- Knit stitch (k)
- Knit front and back increase (kfb) [See Figure A. and YouTube video link.]
- Bind off (BO)
- Optional tassels [See Figure B.]
Figure B: Knit front and back (kfb). 1: Insert needle as if to knit as normal. 2: Yarnover and draw up a loop as normal, but do not slide stitch off the left needle. 3: Turn work so you can see the back, and insert needle from front to back in the back of the stitch. 4: Yarnover and draw up a loop, and then slide the stitch off the left needle as normal.
Cast on:
CO 3 stitches using your preferred method.
Body of the shawl:
Row 1: Kfb [See Figure A and YouTube video] in the first stitch, k to the end of the row. (You now have 4 stitches.)
Row 2: Kfb in the first stitch, k to the end of the row. (You are increasing by 1 stitch every row.)
That is it! Repeat this row until you have just enough yarn left for the bind off and tassels.
I increased until I had 136 stitches, which is a total of 133 increase rows. However, your number will vary based on your own gauge and the yarn you are using.
Bind off:
Bind off LOOSELY. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Tassels (optional):
I used the fringe method for making 3 tassels. [See Figure B.]
Figure B: How to make fringe tassels. 1: The amount of yarn I had left over for my tassels (I didn’t use all of it.) 2: Cut 15 lengths of yarn about 12 inches long (5 lengths for each tassel). I cut one length using my measuring tape, and then used that as a guide for the others. 3: Insert crochet hook in the corner you want the tassel. 4: Loop one set of yarn lengths (5) over the hook. 5: Pull through. 6: Loop end of yarn lengths (there will be 10) over the hook. 7: Pull through. I took out my hook and used my fingers. 8: Trim up the ends of the yarn. You can do this last after all 3 tassels are made.
I now have a full YouTube Tutorial for this shawl!
I hope you enjoy this Free Easy Beginner Knitting Pattern for Velvet Shawl. If you made it, please show us on the Facebook group.
Download the free pdf pattern here on LoveKnitting.
P.S. As with all of my patterns, you are welcome to sell any items you make with your personal copy of the pattern. Please respect the designer’s hard work and do not sell the pattern itself.
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Cozy Knitting and Crochet 
I heard this yarn is not good for knitting as if causes a lot of “worming” – was it hard to work with? did it leave areas where the stitch did not pull snug and looks like a “pull” or worm?
I have balls of this and it so such beautiful yarn
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Hi Stephanie, Since publishing this pattern I have heard some mixed opinions about this yarn. I did not have any problems with the stitches creating “worms” & not pulling tight while knitting, but I have had issues with the wear of the shawl as it catches easily and can pull. I’ve used some other chenille type yarns like Lion Brand Vel-luxe and have had similar issues, so I think it’s an issue with this type of yarn. Personally I think it’s worth it for the softness of the yarn as well as how much yardage you get in a ball, but it’s every person’s own opinion 😊 You can always knit a small swatch and see if it works for you, maybe try a smaller needle? Or just try to keep tension a little tighter than normal. Hope it works out for you.
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Hi, Lena! Can you give me an idea of your gage for this pattern? I have a tight tension when I knit under normal circumstances, so I tried to knit more loosely using a size 10 needle. I have used an entire skein of Bernat velvet so far, made 133 increases, yet the shawl measures only 44 inches! When I try using a larger needle (size 11), the yarn worms! Any suggestions?
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Hi Anna. I’m so sorry to hear that the yarn is giving you difficulties. This shawl stretches a lot with wear, so I’m not able to give you an accurate gauge as my shawl has grown significantly with normal wear. Because of the worming of the yarn with the #11 needles, I would recommend if you can to stick to the #10 (6mm) needle and just keep increasing, adding yarn if you have it. My second suggestion would be to simply finish the one skein and then wet block your shawl to stretch it out as much as possible. This is how I do it: Soak the shawl in cool water with some mild detergent (or without) for several hours, carefully wring out the excess water, fold up the shawl in a towel to get rid of more water, then lay over something like an ironing board. In this way the weight of the damp shawl helps to stretch itself out. Alternately, you could lay the shawl flat after soaking and use pins to stretch it out more evenly. I hope this helps some. Thanks for your comment.
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