This is the perfect pattern for that favorite skein of sock yarn you just couldn’t live without. It can be made with fun colors to give your outfit just a touch of interest without being too much. It’s an asymmetrical shawl that keeps your shoulders warm and doesn’t fall down but is also a cowl that twists easily around your neck thanks to the careless twist.

Why Careless? Well, in most patterns where you knit in the round after the cast on we’re told Join in the round being careful not to twist. Not this time, with this shawl we‘re going to be careless and twist. Careless is a shawl/cowl that is knit from the bottom up with one 100 gram skein of sock yarn or, better yet, 100 grams of your favorite fingering or sport weight handspun. The crazier the better. It can be worn as a shawl around your shoulders without the need of a shawl pin or doubled as a cowl wrapped snuggly around your neck. I’ve also included the directions for a 18 inch Careless shawl to keep your favorite doll warm around the shoulders without her losing her shawl either.

This pattern contains both the adult size and the doll size.

Approximate finished dimensions after washing and blocking: 47 cm/18.5 inches wide and 42 cm/16.5 inches long.

Skill Level: beginner.

Yarn: Nicole C. Méndez Merino, 1 skein = 399.6 meters (437.0 yards), or 400 meters of fingering weight sock yarn or handspun. For Kit’s Doll Shawl use 20 gr fingering weight sock yarn.

Needles: US 6 /4 mm.

Notions: one stitch marker, an optional removable stitch marker and a darning needle to weave in ends.

Gauge: 21 sts/4 inches in stockinette stitch. This shawl is knit at a looser gauge than normal for flexibility and drape.