Our Wheelwright Shawl borrows its engineering from the hand-makers across the town square to create a circular sweep of soft-as-can-be fabric!

Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho

An engaging construction, you form each spoke of the Wheelwright Shawl with short rows that, twenty-four spokes later, create a circle and a half with a rounded opening in the middle, all designed to swing around your body with beauty, grace, and a bit of drama, too.

Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho

If short rows are new to you, now is the time to get over that hurdle! Simple stockinette stitch clears the plate for focusing on a new technique, while 24 wedges offer enough practice that, by the end, short rows will be just one more arrow in your quiver.

Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho

When a gorgeous swath of fabric is the goal, our Cashmere Merino Bloom is a wonderful choice. Seventy-five percent extra fine merino and 25% cashmere, it is incredibly soft with a lovely glow that comes from the halo of cashmere fiber hovering over its surface. It comes in over two dozen inspiring colors, including this Golden Green, like a rare gem grown deep in a field of lichen!

Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!

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

Materials

Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho
  • 5 skeins of Purl Soho’s Cashmere Merino Bloom, 75% extra fine merino and 25% cashmere. Each skein is 218 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 1090 yards required. We used the color Golden Green.
  • US 6 (4mm), straight or 24-inch circular needles

Gauge

20 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

NOTE: We used nearly 5 full skeins to make this wrap. To avoid running short, please double check your gauge and be conservative with tails!

Size

  • Finished Outer Circumference: 168 inches
  • Finished Inner (Neckhole) Circumference: 24¼ inches
  • Finished Width from Inner to Outer Edge: 15¼ inches

Notes

CONSTRUCTION

You will cast on at a short end of this shawl and use short rows to create 24 pie-shaped wedges, which form a circle and a half with a rounded inner edge.

SHORT ROW SHAPING: WRP-T (WRAP AND TURN)

Keeping yarn in back, slip next stitch purlwise from left needle to right needle. Bring yarn to front. Return slipped stitch to left needle. Turn work so wrong side is facing you.

For a step-by-step video and photo tutorial of how to work this technique, please visit our Short Rows: Wrap + Turn Tutorial tutorial, but do not move yarn to back before turning work.

Pattern

Cast on 76 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Set-Up Row (wrong side): K1, p1, knit to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.

SHORT-ROW WEDGE

Row 1 (right side): K2, p1, knit to last 3 stitches, p1, k2.

Row 2 (wrong side): K1, p1, k1, purl to last 3 stitches, k1, p1, k1.

Rows 3–6: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 two more times.

Row 7: K2, p1, knit to last 4 stitches, wrp-t (see Note).

Row 8: Purl to last 3 stitches, k1, p1, k1.

Row 9: K2, p1, knit to 3 stitches before wrap, wrp-t.

Rows 10–53: Repeat Rows 8 and 9 twenty-two more times. [3 stitches remain to the left of the final wrap]

Row 54: K1, p1, k1.

Row 55: K2, p1, knit to last 3 stitches, knitting wrapped stitches with their wraps, p1, k2.

Row 56: K1, p1, k1, purl to last 3 stitches, k1, p1, k1.

CONTINUE

Repeat Short-Row Wedge 23 more times, ending with Row 55 on the last repeat.

Next Row (wrong side): K1, p1, knit to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.

With right side facing you, bind off in knit stitch.

FINISHING

Weave in the ends and gently wet block.

Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho
Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho
Wheelwright Shawl | Purl Soho