Oliphant Kat Nursing Shawl Free Knitting Pattern

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. Read full blog disclosure here.

I am so excited to share this pattern with you by my friend Katrina of Oliphant Kat. Read the full backstory on this pattern and collaboration here. This is such a fabulous pattern and while Kat designed it to be a nursing shawl for her first baby, I can tell you that it is a stunning shawl sans baby and will quickly be one of your favorite things to make and to wear. Or - it is the perfect gift for a new mom to be. And keeping with my NYC vibes - of course we teamed up with Asylum Fibers again for this one. You will just love it!

MATERIALS:
Asylum Fibers Errant Arran  - 498m (543 yd) MC, 166m (181 yd)
Main Color:  3 skeins   (shown in Absolem)
Contrast Color: 1 skein CC.  (shown in Delirium)
6.5mm (US 10.5) circular needles, 80cm (32”) or longer
Blocking boards and pins, or other blocking materials
17 stitch markers (optional, see notes)
1 button (optional, see notes)
1 80cm (32”) circular needle, 1-2 sizes larger than your main needle for BO (optional)

ABBREVIATIONS:
CO - Cast on
BO - Bind off
RS - Right side
WS - Wrong side
K – Knit
P – Purl
yo - Yarn over
K2tog - Knit 2 together
MC - Main colour
CC - Contrast colour
SSK - Slip knitwise, slip knitwise, knit stitches together
pm - place marker
rm - remove marker

PATTERN NOTES:

FINISHED MEASUREMENT: 163cm (64") x 48cm (19") after blocking
GAUGE: 14 sts and 22 rows to 10cm (4") measured in garter stitch blocked

You can substitute the yarn with any worsted/aran yarn that knits to the correct gauge. To keep the drape of the material, use a needle that is two or three sizes up from the recommendation on the ball band. Make sure to use superwash if you’re planning on using (or gifting) the shawl as a nursing shawl.

Markers are optional, but very helpful to keep track of the pattern repeats. If using markers, there should always be 10 sts between each marker by the end of a row. 

The button is optional, but if you add it the finished shawl can be worn in many different ways. Every yo in the first and last RS row of each lace panel can be used as a buttonhole, giving you a lot of flexibility in the style in which you wear the shawl.

STITCH PATTERNS
Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern - written instructions 

Row 1: K2, K2tog, *yo, K2, (K2tog, yo) three times, K2tog; repeat from * until last 2 sts, yo, K2

Row 2 (and all even rows unless otherwise indicated): P all sts

Row 3: K1, K2tog, yo, *K4, (K2tog, yo) 3 times; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K3

Row 5: K3, *K2, yo, SSK, K1, (K2tog, yo) twice K1; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K3

Row 7: K3, *K1, (yo, SSK) twice, K1, K2tog, yo, K2; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K3 

Row 9: K3, *(yo, SSK) 3 times, K4; repeat from * to last 3 sts, yo, SSK, K1

Row 10: If using markers: *P to marker, rm, P1, pm; repeat to last marker, P to end. Otherwise, P all sts 

Row 11: K2, yo, * SSK, (yo, SSK) 3 times, K2, yo; repeat from * to last 4 sts, SSK, K2

Row 13: K3, *(yo, SSK) 3 times, K4; repeat from * to last 3 sts, yo, SSK, K1

Row 15:  K3, *K1, (yo, SSK) twice, K1, K2tog, yo, K2; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K3

Row 17: K3, *K2, yo, SSK, K1, (K2tog, yo) twice K1; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K3

Row 19: K1, K2tog, yo, *K4, (K2tog, yo) 3 times; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K3

Row 20: If using markers: *P to 1 before marker, pm, P1, rm; repeat from * to last marker, P to end. Otherwise, P all sts

Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern - chart

All even rows: P all sts. If using markers, see special instructions for rows 10 and 20 in written instructions.

PATTERN

Using CC, CO 166 sts. 

Contrast stripe 1 - CC 

Rows 1-5: K all sts

If using markers

Row 6: K2, *pm, K10; repeat from * to last 4 sts, pm, K4 

If not using markers
Row 6: K all sts 

Break yarn, join MC 

Lace panel 1 - MC 

Rows 1-20: Work rows 1-20 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern

Rows 21-32: Work rows 1-12 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern 

Do not break yarn, join CC 

Contrast stripe 2 - CC 

If using markers

Row 1: K all sts, removing all markers.

Rows 2-5: K all sts, carrying MC up side of work.

Row 6: K4, *pm, K10; repeat from * to last 2 sts, pm, K2

Break CC 

If not using markers

Rows 1-6: K all sts, carrying MC up side of work.

Break CC. 

Lace panel 2 - MC 

Rows 1-10: Rows 11-20 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern

Rows 11-30: Rows 1-20 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern

Rows 31-32: Rows 1-2 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern 

Do not break yarn, join CC. 

Contrast stripe 3 - CC 

If using markers

Row 1: K all sts, removing all markers.

Rows 2-5: K all sts, carrying MC up side of work.

Row 6: K2, *pm, K10; repeat from * to last 4 sts, pm, K4 

If not using markers

Rows 1-6: K all sts, carrying MC up side of work.

Break CC. 

Lace panel 3 - MC 

Rows 1-20: Work rows 1-20 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern

Rows 21-32: Work rows 1-12 of Lacy Diamonds stitch pattern 

Break MC, join CC 

Contrast stripe 4 - CC 

Row 1: K all sts, removing all markers.

Rows 2-6: K all sts. 

BO all sts loosely. If possible, use a needle 1-2 sizes larger than your main needle to BO. Break yarn. 

Right side border - CC 

Row 1 (RS): With RS facing and starting from CO edge, pick up and knit 54 sts from right edge of the shawl (approx 1 st every 2 rows).

Rows 2-6: K all sts. 

BO all sts loosely. If possible, use a needle 1-2 sizes larger than your main needle to BO. Break yarn. 

Left side border - CC 

Row 1 (RS): With RS facing and starting from BO edge, pick up and knit 54 sts from left edge of the shawl (approx 1 st every 2 rows).

Rows 2-6: K all sts. 

BO all sts loosely. If possible, use a needle 1-2 sizes larger than your main needle to BO. Break yarn. 

FINISHING:

Sew in ends. If using a button, sew it into desired corner (pictured with button in top right corner). 

You can use any of the yo holes from rows 1 or 31 of any of the Lace Panels as a buttonhole.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

Katrina created her first pattern for a basketweave scarf as a pre-teen but it took her another fifteen years to start writing patterns for others - and now she can't stop! She loves knitting best while she's watching TV or listening to podcasts, and so finds joy in creating patterns that look beautiful and intricate but are secretly quite simple. Originally from Sydney, Australia, when she's not knitting she spends her days writing code at her day job and figuring out how to keep her small human alive and happy. You can find her at www.oliphantkat.com or @oliphantkat on Instagram.