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Arc Shawl
The Arc Shawl unfolds like the open sky at daybreak, a half-circle of warmth in a graceful sweep across your shoulders. Cast on with our Arc Shawl Bundle and knit together the unparalleled softness of Season Alpaca with the delicate haze of Tussock for a fabric that glows with the beauty of both yarns!
Our Arc Shawl pattern draws on Elizabeth Zimmermann’s famous Pi Shawl formula, where increase rounds ripple out from the center, alternating with ever wider sections of stockinette as the circle grows. Here, that idea has been reimagined into a celestial semicircle!
You knit with Season Alpaca and Tussock held together throughout, working the shawl flat from the center out. Lots of simple stockinette stitch makes for an easy and meditative knit, giving you plenty of time to admire the dreamy fabric forming on your needles, while yarn-over increases shape the arc and create rows of little eyelets. Stop early for a cozy, smaller shawl or keep going for a dramatic wrap that enfolds you from shoulder to hip!
Bringing a fluid drape to the fabric, Season Alpaca is the very essence of alpaca-fiber softness. Spun from the finest grade of hand-sorted Peruvian super baby alpaca, this smooth, multi-strand sport-weight yarn glows with its own inner light across a palette of glorious, gently heathered shades.
Floating alongside is lace-weight Tussock, 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% mulberry silk, a beautiful blend for absorbing color and reflecting tones. The mohair lends the shawl its luminous halo and decadent warmth, while the lustrous silk adds shimmering richness.
Together, these yarns transform into fabric with both gravity and lift, substance and radiance. We created 13 beautiful Arc Shawl Bundles (you can see swatches of each one above!), including the stunning pairing of Season Alpaca’s True Turquoise and Tussock’s Lapis Lazuli… A shawl as brilliantly blue as a cloudless sky!
Choose the palette that calls to you and watch your Arc Shawl open into an expansive curve that carries the spirit of the horizon in every row.
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. See even more of Gianna’s work on her Instagram!
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
Our Arc Shawl Bundle has all the yarn you’ll need to make your own Small Shawl (Big Shawl). It includes…
- Yarn A: 2 (5) skeins of Purl Soho’s Season Alpaca, 100% super baby alpaca yarn. Each skein of this sport-weight yarn is 218 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 290 (1,090) yards required. We used True Turquoise.
- Yarn B: 1 (4) skein(s) of Purl Soho’s Tussock, 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% silk. Each skein of this lace- to fingering-weight yarn is 328 yards/ 25 grams; approximately 285 (1,115) yards required. We used Lapis Lazuli.
You’ll also need…
- US 6 (4 mm), 16- or 24-inch circular knitting needles
- US 6, 40-inch circular needles
GAUGE
22 stitches and 25 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, holding Yarns A and B together
SIZES
Small Shawl (Big Shawl)
- Finished Length of Wingspan: 34½ (55½) inches
- Finished Depth (center to outer edge): 15¾ (30) inches
Sample: We knit the Big Shawl size.
NOTES
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all slip stitches purlwise with yarn in front.
ESTABLISHED PATTERN
When instructed to work in “established pattern”, do the following…
Wrong-Side Rows: Slip 1, purl to last stitch, slip 1.
Right-Side Rows: Knit to end of row.
PATTERN
With one strand of Yarn A and one strand of Yarn B held together, cast 5 stitches onto shorter circular needles. We used a basic Long-Tail Cast On.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Notes), purl to last stitch, slip 1.
Increase Row 1 (right side): K1, *knit front and back (kfb), repeat from * to last stitch, k1. [8 stitches]
Work 1 wrong-side row in established pattern (see Notes).
Repeat Increase Row 1. [14 stitches]
Work 3 rows in established pattern (see Notes). [Piece measures 1 inch from cast-on stitches]
Repeat Increase Row 1. [26 stitches]
Work 5 rows in established pattern. [Piece measures 2 inches from cast-on stitches]
Increase Row 2 (right side): K2, *yarn over (yo), k1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. [49 stitches]
Work 11 rows in established pattern. [Piece measures 4 inches from cast-on stitches]
NOTE: Change to longer needles when necessary.
Repeat Increase Row 2. [95 stitches]
Work 23 rows in established pattern. [Piece measures 7⅞ inches from cast-on stitches]
Repeat Increase Row 2. [187 stitches]
Work 47 rows in established pattern. [Piece measures 15½ inches from cast-on stitches]
SMALL SHAWL ONLY
Go on to Finishing.
BIG SHAWL ONLY
Repeat Increase Row 2. [371 stitches]
Work 95 rows in established pattern. [Piece measures 30⅞ inches from cast-on stitches]
FINISHING
Next Row (right side): K2, *yo, k4, repeat from * to last stitch, knit 1. [233 (463) stitches]
Next Row (wrong side): Slip 1, purl to last stitch, slip 1.
Bind off all stitches knitwise.
Weave in ends and gently wet block.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Learn About This Yarn Bundle + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Our Arc Shawl Bundle comes in Small and Big Shawl sizes and includes all the Season Alpaca and Tussock yarns you need for your chosen size! Together they make an incredibly luminous, complex fabric with a glorious halo. A round, even sport-weight yarn, Season Alpaca is made with 100% super baby alpaca, while Tussock combines 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% mulberry silk for a glistening lace-weight yarn as light as whisper. Pick up an Arc Shawl Bundle to cast on for this free knitting pattern and experience the joy of these two gorgeous yarns… together!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collections of (mostly free!) Season Alpaca knitting patterns and Tussock knitting patterns and cast on!
More Yarns In Similar Weights
- Shop our entire collection of sport-weight yarns
- Shop our entire collection of lace-weight yarns
- If you want to use different yarns, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial and our Yarn Substitution article for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop alpaca yarn
- Shop mohair yarn
- Shop silk yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free 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!
I see the swatches of the color coordinating bundles, do you have swatches for the color mix bundles, such as the pink and orange. Thanks
Hi Zoie,
Thanks for asking! You can find all the color combinations from the bundles in the 6th photo from the top or also in the last photo of the project page!
Happy knitting!
Gavriella
Approximately how long does it take to knit the Big Shawl?
Hi Kim,
That’s a great question! Unfortunately since we all knit with different styles and at different paces, its difficult to provide an estimated time frame for handmade projects. We encourage you to give it a try and we’ll be here to cheer you on and answer any questions along the way!
Warmly,
Gavriella
How pretty!
Is the smaller version just the large version but knit shorter in length, or does it retain the same proportions of the different segments? I hope my question makes sense and you understand what I’m asking. … is each section a little shorter in length or is just the last section shorter?
Hi Natalie,
Great question! The proportions are the same. For the larger shawl you will just work one more increase row and continue knitting more rows for a larger result.
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
I see. So they are the same measurements until you get to the last section. Thanks!
Yep! That is exactly correct! Happy knitting, Natalie!
Do you have a picture of the small arc shawl?
Hi Judy,
I’m afraid that we don’t have photos of the smaller version but you can find all of the sizing measurements in the SIZES section of the pattern to help give you a better idea of the result. I hope this helps but please let us know if there is anything else we can answer for you!
All the best,
Gavriella
I absolutely love this pattern but being in Florida this would be a bit warm for our climate. Is there a yarn I can substitute that is a lighter weight realizing that the shawl will be smaller in dimensions.
Hi Sharon,
Thank you for writing in! We totally understand the need for adjusting for warmer weather. I’d recommend Cotton Pure as the perfect alternative so that you don’t have to sacrifice size at all! From there you will just want to make sure you can match the gauge of the pattern and you are ready for a Florida fun shawl!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you so much. I have and love cotton pure. Would you suggest putting the mohair with it realizing it will be a little warmer but not nearly as warm as the alpaca. I do have the color beach rose. Is there a color of Tussock you could suggest that would go with this color.
Thank you
Hi Sharon,
You are very welcome! I wouldn’t pair Tussock with Cotton Pure just because the fibers are quite different. Pairing a plant fiber with a animal fiber can sometimes lead to the stitches growing at different rates during the blocking process and with normal wear. Luckily the mohair doesn’t add a ton of weight to the strands so you should have no issues getting gauge with the Cotton Pure alone. If you do decide to go with a strand of Tussock though, I’d recommend Tea Rose or Alizarin Orange for great contrast.
Happy knitting!
Gavriella
I don’t see a price
Hi Dianne,
Thanks for asking! You can find the current prices for these bundles directly on the product page. Please let us know if you have any issues access that page though!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Is there a crochet version of this pattern?
Hi Rose,
We’re so sorry to share that we don’t currently have a crochet version of this pattern. Thats such a great suggestion though and I will be sure to share it with our team for future pattern consideration!
All the best,
Gavriella
I love the yarn over detail, but won’t need the extra stitches on the final yo instruction, as I’m making the smaller shawl. Still, is there a way to include the yarn overs without doubling the stitches, as they add so much visually! Thank you!
Hi Sharon,
That is a great idea! I’d consider working a (YO, K2tog) repeat on the right size to get a nice row of eyelets. You could try this out over a small swatch first to see how you like it!
All the best,
Gavriella
Hi all,
I used Gavriella’s suggestion above, yo, k2tog, and it came out beautifully! My only complaint with this pattern is, as I feared, the edges really roll up, it is hard to see the final detail of yo’s at bottom. Would an i-cord help fix this? Thanks!
Hi Sharon,
I am so happy it was a success! I think an icord or even a few rows of added garter would be great to help that edge stay straight!
Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you!
All the best,
Gavriella
I love this arch shawl. It’s very unusual, I’ll be making it.
I love this arch shawl. It’s very unusual, I’ll be making it.
Lilieth
I love this pattern and am looking forward to starting in when I receive the yarn. I have a circular needle kit that can go up to 32 inches. Will that be long enough for the big shawl or do you think 40 is needed.
Hi Jen,
We’re so glad you like the pattern! Shorter length needles will work for the first part of this shawl, but with the increase rows, we find the stitches can feel quite crowded on the needles, which is why we recommend switching to 40” needles at that point. You may want to try your 32” needles and see if your stitches feel comfortable on them, switching to longer needles if necessary.
Happy knitting!
Allison
What a superb shawl! I have noticed that the section above the longest one it looks as though it was knitted in either a slanted stitch or a different yarn. Is there a reason for this?
Thank you
!
Hello,
We’re so glad you like the shawl! It may be surprising, but all the sections of this shawl are made with the same yarn and stitch pattern! The sections may appear different because of how this shawl drapes. The longest section of the shawl has an almost undulating look, while the middle section is pulled smooth. We love that a simple stitch pattern can allow the yarn to shine through in this way and we think it’s wonderful that your eyes caught that little detail!
All the best,
Allison
I had heard about your beautiful pieces from The Wisconsin Knitting Guild. Now I have the opportunity to enjoy them. Thank you.
Hi Cathy,
Thank you so much for writing in! It’s wonderful to hear that The Wisconsin Knitting Guild is saying nice things about us. We’d love to hear about your group’s activities, and we wish you all lots of joy with your knitting!
Best,
Whitney