Autumn Leaves Small Triangular Shawl (Baktus)

Free Shawl Knitting Pattern

In the Northeast where I live, early Fall is a gorgeous season. The weather is usually sunny, clear and pleasantly, and the colors of the trees are incredibly vivid. When I first picked up the Knit Picks (affiliate link) Chroma Yarn that I used for this project, I knew immediately that I would be using it to make some sort of tribute to the Fall. I went with a leaf motif.

This is a baktus-style shawl (this just means that it's long and narrow, meant to be wrapped around the neck and shoulders like a scarf).

Because I wanted to include some leaves in the body of the shawl, not just the border, but at the same time didn't want to do lace all-over, the shawl features a slightly unusual construction. The central part is knitted first and features lace. Then the stitches along the two edges are picked up, and the left and right parts are knitted in turn.

The side panels are knitted with seed stitch. I used this stitch because it holds its shape better and doesn't tend to roll up like stockinette stitch. The lace border is knitted at the same time. A lace leaf caps each end of the baktus.

While it's possible to use any fingering-weight yarn for this shawl, I do think something Fall- or at least forest-colored is best.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:

-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off.
-Increasing
-Decreasing
-Pick up sts
-Working lace patterns.

Size: 78" (200 cm) long and 13" (32 cm) wide at the widest part

Materials: Knit Picks (affiliate link) Chroma Fingering weight yarn, 396 yds (362 m) /100 grams, color New England - 1 ball

Needles: 2 (2.75 mm)

Gauge for seed stitch (blocked): 18 st x 22 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm). However, exact gauge is not important.

Abbreviations:

K – knit
P – purl
sl - slip 1 st
yo - yarn over
St, sts – stitch, stitches
k2tog - knit 2 sts together
ssk - slip the first st as if to knit, knit the second st, pass the first stitch over the second one
sk2p - slip one stitch, knit two stitches together, pass the slipped stitch over the 2 stitches that were knit together
p3tog - purl 3 stitches together
kfb - knit into front and back of same stitch
co – cast on
pm - place marger
sm - slip marker
RS – right sideWS – wrong side
as est. - as established, work as the pattern demands

Patterns:

Central Panel:
Cast on 17 sts
Row 1 (RS): sl, k3, (k2tog, yo) 2 times, k1, (yo, ssk) 2 times, k4. 17 sts.
Row 2 (WS): sl wyif, k5, p5, k6.
Row 3 (RS): sl, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, (k1, yo) 2 times, k1, ssk, yo, ssk, k3.
Row 4 (WS): sl wyif, k4, p7, k5.
Row 5 (RS): sl, k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, yo, ssk, k2.
Row 6 (WS): sl wyif, k3, p9, k4.
Row 7 (RS): sl, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, yo, ssk, k1.
Row 8 (WS): sl wyif, k2, p11, k3.
Row 9 (RS): sl, k2, yo, ssk, k7, k2tog, yo, k3.
Row 10 (WS): repeat row 6.
Row 11 (RS): sl, k3, yo, ssk, k5, k2tog, yo, k4.
Row 12 (WS): repeat row 4.
Row 13 (RS): sl, k4, yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k5.
Row 14 (WS): repeat row 2.
Row 15 (RS): sl, k5, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k6.
Row 16 (WS): sl wyif, k6, p3, k7.
Row 17 (RS): sl, k6, yo, sk2p, yo, k7.
Row 18 (WS): sl wyif, k7, p1, k8.
Repeat rows 1-18.

Click image to enlarge

Right Leaf Edging:
On 5 sts
Row 1 (RS): k2, yo, k1, yo, k2. 7 sts.
Row 2 (WS): kfb, p6. 8 sts.
Row 3 (RS): k3, yo, k1, yo, k2, p2. 10 sts.
Row 4 (WS): k1, kfb, p8. 11 sts.
Row 5 (RS): k4, yo, k1, yo, k3, p3. 13 sts.
Row 6 (WS): k2, kfb, p10. 14 sts.
Row 7 (RS): k5, yo, k1, yo, k4, p4. 16 sts.
Row 8 (WS): k3, kfb, p12. 17 sts.
Row 9 (RS): k1, ssk, k7, k2tog, p5. 15 sts.
Row 10 (WS): k4, kfb, p10. 16 sts.
Row 11 (RS): k1, ssk, k5, k2tog, p6. 14 sts.
Row 12 (WS): k2, p1, k2, kfb, p8. 15 sts.
Row 13 (RS): k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, p4, k1, p2. 13 sts.
Row 14 (WS): k2, p1, k3, kfb, p6. 14 sts.
Row 15 (RS): k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, p5, k1, p2. 12 sts.
Row 16 (WS): k2, p1, k4, kfb, p4. 13 sts.
Row 17 (RS): k1, sk2p, p6, k1, p2. 11 sts.
Row 18 (WS): k2, p1, k6, p2.
Row 19 (RS): k2tog, bind off x 5, (k1, yo) 2 times, k2. 7 sts.
Repeat row 2-19.

Click image to enlarge

Left Leaf Edging:
On 5 sts
Row 1 (RS): k2, yo, k1, yo, k2. 7 sts.
Row 2 (WS): p6, kfb. 8 sts.
Row 3 (RS): p2, k2, yo, k1, yo, k3. 10 sts.
Row 4 (WS): p8, kfb, k1. 11 sts.
Row 5 (RS): p3, k3, yo, k1, yo, k4. 13 sts.
Row 6 (WS): p10, kfb, k2. 14 sts.
Row 7 (RS): p4, k4, yo, k1, yo, k5. 16 sts.
Row 8 (WS): p12, kfb, k3. 17 sts.
Row 9 (RS): p5, ssk, k7, k2tog, k1. 15 sts.
Row 10 (WS): p10, kfb, k4. 16 sts.
Row 11 (RS): p6, ssk, k5, k2tog, k1. 14 sts.
Row 12 (WS): p8, kfb, k2, p1, k2. 15 sts.
Row 13 (RS): p2, k1, p4, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1. 13 sts.
Row 14 (WS): p6, kfb, k3, p1, k2. 14 sts.
Row 15 (RS): p2, k1, p5, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1. 12 sts.
Row 16 (WS): p4, kfb, k4, p1, k2. 13 sts.
Row 17 (RS): p2, k1, p6, sk2p, k1. 11 sts.
Row 18 (WS): p2tog, bind off x 5, k1, p1, k2. 5 sts.
Repeat rows 1-18.

Click image to enlarge

Single Leaf Edging
On 9 sts
Row 1 (RS): k4, yo, k1, yo, k4. 11 sts.
Row 2 (WS): purl.
Row 3 (RS): k5, yo, k1, yo, k5. 13 sts.
Row 4 (WS): purl.
Row 5 (RS): k6, yo, k1, yo, k6. 15 sts.
Row 6 (WS): purl.
Row 7 (RS): k1, ssk, k9, k2tog, k1. 13 sts.
Row 8 (WS): purl.
Row 9 (RS): k1, ssk, k7, k2tog, k1. 11 sts.
Row 10 (WS): purl.
Row 11 (RS): k1, ssk, k5, k2tog, k1. 9 sts.
Row 12 (WS): purl.
Row 13 (RS): k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1. 7 sts.
Row 14 (WS): purl.
Row 15 (RS): k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1. 5 sts.
Row 16 (WS): purl.
Row 17 (RS): k1, sk2p, k1. 3 sts.
Row 18 (WS): p3tog. (1 st)
Bind off.

Click image to enlarge

Seed Stitch:
Row 1: *k1, p1* repeat to the end
Row 2: *p1, k1* repeat to the end

Directions:

Cast on 17 sts and work the central panel. Repeat the pattern 5 times.
The 6th repeat: Work rows 1-7.
Row 8: bind off 3 sts, p11, k3
Row 9: bind off 4 sts, k7, k2tog
Row 10: sl1, p8 = 9 sts
Row 11: ssk, k5, k2tog = 7 sts
Row 12: sl1, p6
Row 13: ssk, k3, k2tog = 5 sts
Row 14: sl1, p4
Row 15: ssk, k1, k2tog = 3 sts
Row 16: sl1, p2
Row 17: k3tog = 1 st
Bind off 1 st.

The Left Side:

Along the left side of the central panel (if the end of the panel is closest to you), pick up 50 sts starting from the left upper corner of the panel.

Row 1 (WS): p 5, pm, p 45 sts

Row 2 (RS): k3, *k2tog, yo* repeat to the marker, sm, work Left Leaf pattern.

Row 3: work the Left Leaf pattern, sm, p 45.

Row 4: k45, sm, continue to work the Left Leaf pattern

Row 5: repeat row 3

Row 6: k3, *k2tog, yo* repeat to the last 2 sts before the marker, k2tog, sm, work the Left Leaf pattern.

Row 7: work the Left Leaf pattern, sm, p 44.

Row 8: work seed stitch pattern to marker, sm, work Left Leaf pattern.

Go on working seed stitch pattern before the marker and leaf after the marker in even rows; leaf pattern before the marker and seed stitch pattern after the marker in odd rows

In every fourth row decrease by 1 st, working k2tog before the marker. Make decreases in rows 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 90, 94, 98, 102, 106, 110, 114, 118, 122, 126, 130, 134, 138, 142, 146, 150, 154, 158, 162, 166, 170, 174, 178, 182

Row 183: p9

Rows 184-202: work Single Leaf edging pattern

The right side:

Work as a mirror of the left side, working Right Leaf Edging pattern instead of Left Leaf Edging.

Finishing:

Block the shawl.

Enjoy!

Diagram:

Close up of the shawl

Another view