This Or That Shawls: Free Shawl Knitting Pattern (2025)

Everyone likes options, and our This Or That Shawls pattern gives you two patterns in one, each using the same amount of our newest yarn, Till. Pick your favorite or make one of each, one for you and one for your bestie!

Both shawls are knitted in garter stitch with the same basic increases; both shawls have you knit all the way through the main color before switching to the contrast; and both shawls end up the same size… But the starting place, construction, and placement of the contrast stripe is different for each!

For the Horizon-Stripe version, shown in Till’s Ube Purple and Wine Berry, you start at the bottom point and work increases at the selvages to shape the shawl. You switch to the contrast color at the end to make a stripe across the wingspan.

For the V-Stripe version, shown below in Till’s Lilac Mauve and Pollen Yellow, you start at the center top with a garter tab, an easy technique that keeps the top edge of the shawl beautifully even and stretchy (we’ll walk you through it), and work increases along the center spine and top edge. When you switch to the contrast color, it creates a bold stripe along the border!

You’ll need four balls of your main color and two of your contrast, whichever version you make, so you don’t need to decide right now… All you have to do is pick from Till’s veritable rainbow of 37 luminous, heathered colors!

Made with 100% Andean highland wool, Till is big and bouncy, soft and warm, easy to knit with, and affordably priced… Generous in every sense of the word! It comes in a big, ready-to-knit ball, no winding required.

You’ll love how plush, squishy, and dimensional Till is in garter stitch, and how toasty warm and snuggly soft your shawl will be!

If you decide to make both shawls, you’ll come away with a better understanding of the structure of triangular shawls, enlightened by the knitting magic that lets you make the same shape two different ways!

Perfect for gifting, knit-alongs, and color-and-fiber lovers, cast on with wonderful Till for either (or both) This Or That Shawl!

If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!

Designed by Purl Soho designer,Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s workon her Instagram!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoThisOrThatShawls, and #PurlSohoTill. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

To make a shawl in either style, you will need…

7 balls of Purl Soho’s Till, 100% Andean highland wool yarn. Each ball of this worsted- to chunky-weight yarn is 136 yards/ 100 grams.

• Horizon-Stripe Shawl
  • Main Color (MC): 4 balls; approximately 544 total yards required. We used Ube Purple.
  • Contrast Color (CC): 3 balls; approximately 325 total yards required. We used Wine Berry.
• V-Stripe Shawl
  • Main Color (MC): 4 balls; approximately 520 total yards required. We used Lilac Mauve.
  • Contrast Color (CC): 3 balls; approximately 370 total yards required. We used Pollen Yellow.

You will also need…

• US 9 (5.5 mm), 24- and 48-inch circular knititng needles (you can use just the 48-inch circulars, but it might be a bit fiddly when working only a few stitches)
• Removable stitch markers or scrap yarn

NOTE: We used all 4 balls of MC for our Horizon-Stripe Shawl. To avoid running short, be sure to check your gauge, use the CC for swatching, and keep tails short. Or, consider ordering an extra ball of MC. If you don’t end up needing it, you can return it for a refund within 30 days of purchase, or within 6 months, for store credit. OurReturn Policyhas all the details!

GAUGE

14 stitches and 28 rows (14 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch

SIZE

• Finished Length of Wingspan: 68¼ inches
• Finished Length of Each Short Side: 48 inches
• Finished Length from Bottom Tip to Middle of Wingspan: 33¾ inches

NOTE

SLIP STITCHES

Slip all slipped stitches knitwise with yarn in back.

HORIZON-STRIPE SHAWL PATTERN

NOTE: For this version, you cast on at the bottom point and increase along the selvages, switching to the Contrast Color near the end in order to create a stripe along the wingspan.

With Main Color (MC), cast on 3 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 1 (See Note), knit to end of row.

NOTE: Place a removable stitch marker or tie a piece of scrap yarn on Row 1 to indicate right side.

Row 1 (right side): Slip 1, make 1 Right(m1R), k1, make 1 Left(m1L), k1. [5 total stitches]

Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.

Row 3 (right side): Slip 1, k1, m1R, knit to last 2 stitches, m1L, k2. [2 stitches increased]

Row 4: Slip 1, knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until piece measures approximately 27 inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches, ending with Row 4. [191 total stitches]

Cut MC.

Join Contrast Color (CC).

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until piece measures 33¾ inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches, ending with Row 2. [239 total stitches]

With right side facing you, bind off loosely knitwise.

FINISHING

Weave in all ends and gently wet block.

V-STRIPE SHAWL PATTERN

NOTE: For this version you start with a “garter tab” at the center of wingspan, increase along the center spine, and finish with an outer stripe of the Contrast Color.

GARTER TAB

With Main Color (MC), cast on 3 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Knit 6 rows.

NOTE: For some tips on picking up, please visit ourPicking Up Stitches Tutorial and scroll down to the Garter Stitch, Between Ridges section.

Next Row (right side): K3, pick up and knit 3 stitches along left selvage, pick up and knit 3 stitches along cast-on edge. [9 total stitches]

BODY

Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Note), k4, place marker (pm), k4.

NOTE: Place a removable stitch marker or tie a piece of scrap yarn on Row 1 to indicate right side.

Row 1 (Increase Row, right side): Slip 1, k1, make 1 Left(m1L), knit to marker,make 1 Right(m1R), slip marker (sm), k1, m1L, knit to last 2 stitches, m1R, k2. [4 stitches increased]

Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row, slipping marker as you come to it.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 27 inches from garter tab selvage to center of live stitches, ending with Row 2. [261 total stitches]

Cut MC.

Join Contrast Color (CC).

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 33¾ inches from garter tab selvage to center of live stitches, ending with Row 2. [337 total stitches]

With right side facing you, bind off loosely knitwise.

FINISHING

Weave in the ends and gently wet block.

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of ourfree knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!