6 Quick, Beautiful, Free Shawl Knitting Patterns to Comfort & Warm

Knit these beautiful, free shawl knitting patterns fast with bulky yarn for a warm and comforting shawl that makes a great gift and/or charity project

When words fail, sometimes there’s nothing like a warm knitted hug to offer the ultimate in comfort. That’s why comfort shawls have been such popular charity knitting projects for so many years.

In my experience, there’s just one problem with many shawl knitting projects: they take a long time to knit. When you want to knit comfort for someone,  you may feel frustrated when you have to wait weeks and weeks to present someone with your knitted hug.

So when I considered creating this collection of free shawl knitting patterns, I had two primary criteria.

One: they had to be relatively quick to knit.

Two: bulky or super-bulky yarn had to be their base. Not only would this ensure quickness, but it would also add to that warm, comforting feeling.

Most of these patterns use very basic stitches; however, I did find one–still geared toward beginners–that offered a bit more spice.

Are you ready to knit a hug for someone in need, fast? Read on!

Here’s another way to knit up comfort for someone struggling, quickly: my Pocket Prayer Cloth knitting pattern!

Simple, Basic, Lovely

Lala’s Simple Shawl

• What you’ll need to make it: 430 to 490 yards bulky weight yarn; US size 10 needles
• Why you’ll want to: The name says it all! This is a simple pattern that even a beginner can knit and enjoy. As an added bonus, it looks great in both solid-colored and variegated yarn.
  (It’s also the most popular bulky weight knitted shawl pattern available on Ravelry!)

Easy Triangle Shawl

• What you’ll need to make it: 370 yards bulky weight yarn; US Size 13 needles; crochet hook (this is just to finish off the shawl)
• Why you’ll want to: This shawl pattern produces a simple, pretty lace pattern in a triangular shape.

Simple Yet Effective Shawl

• What you’ll need to make it: 350 to 500 yards bulky weight yarn (depending on the size you want); US Size 11, at least 24″ circular needle
• Why you’ll want to: If you’re looking for a shawl you can complete in a weekend, look no further than this pattern. It’s a triangular shawl with alternating rows of garter and stockinette stitch. It couldn’t be simpler!

Peaceful Shawl

• What you’ll need to make it: 230 yards bulky weight yarn; US Size 15 needles
• Why you’ll want to: The designer of this lovely rectangular shawl created it especially for charity knitting. The pattern itself is super-simple, breaking up rows of garter stitch with a row of lace.

Comfort Cloak

• What you’ll need to make it: 750 to 850 yards bulky weight yarn; US Size 11 needles

• Why you’ll want to: This simple yet lovely circular cloak is very pretty in solid colors, but it’s absolutely breathtaking when you add stripes! You can knit this in worsted, bulky, or super bulky weight yarn. (Thank you to reader Tischa, who pointed me in the direction of this fabulous pattern.)

Just a Bit of Spice

FUNdamental Shawl

• What you’ll need to make it: 250 to 340 yards bulky weight yarn; US Size 13, at least 32″ circular needle
• Why you’ll want to: This is a delightful shawl pattern for beginning knitters who would like to expand their knitting repertoire. It includes garter and stockinette stitch, ribbing, simple lace, and both left- and right-leaning increases and decreases.

Now there’s no more need to shy away from comfort shawl knitting because of the time involved. With one of these beautiful free shawl knitting patterns, you can give anyone a knitted hug in no time!