Safdie Shawl in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky Natural - Downloadable PDF

Safdie Shawl in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky Natural: A Detailed Pattern Summary

The Safdie is a striking knitted cowl designed by Alison Green and published by Berroco as a downloadable PDF pattern. Despite being listed under shawls and wraps, this design is constructed and finished as a cowl — a seamless loop worn around the neck and shoulders. It is rated Intermediate in skill level, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping techniques and are ready to explore modular, geometric construction methods.

What Is Being Made

The Safdie is a colorwork cowl built from a series of mitered squares arranged in vertical columns. The finished piece has a gently tapered silhouette, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, giving it a graceful drape around the neck. The finished measurements are approximately 30 inches / 76 cm around at the bottom edge, 21 inches / 53.5 cm around at the top edge, and 13 inches / 33 cm in height. The tapering effect is achieved by working progressively smaller mitered squares as the columns rise toward the top edge.

Construction Method

The Safdie uses a modular knitting approach, which is a technique in which individual geometric units — in this case mitered squares — are knitted one at a time and joined together as the work progresses. This method is particularly satisfying because each small unit is a self-contained project, and the overall fabric grows organically without the need for seaming large panels together.

• Columns of mitered squares are worked from the bottom of the cowl upward, with each square becoming progressively smaller to create the tapered shape.
• After the first column is complete, each subsequent column is worked by picking up stitches from the edge of the previous column, integrating the pieces seamlessly as the knitting continues.
• Once all columns are finished, the first and last columns are sewn together to close the cowl into a tube.
• Gauge is measured after blocking, and the pattern cleverly suggests using the first mitered square itself as a gauge swatch to save time.

Techniques Used

Knitters working on the Safdie will practice and develop several important skills:

• Mitered square construction — Each square is worked by casting on stitches, placing a central marker, and working paired decreases on either side of that center point on every right-side row. This draws the square inward symmetrically, creating the characteristic diagonal lines that radiate from the center of each unit.
• SSK (slip, slip, knit) — A left-leaning decrease used on the left side of the center marker.
• K2tog (knit two together) — A right-leaning decrease used on the right side of the center marker, pairing with the SSK to create a balanced, mitered effect.
• Picking up stitches — Used to begin each new column directly from the edge of the previous one, eliminating the need for separate seaming along those joins.
• Color changes — The pattern uses three colors within each mitered square, with color transitions worked mid-square to create a striped, gradient-like effect within each geometric unit.
• Seaming — The final step joins the first and last columns using a tapestry needle.
• Blocking — Essential for achieving accurate gauge and the finished measurements specified in the pattern.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch — The entire cowl is worked in garter stitch (knitting every row on both right-side and wrong-side rows), which gives the fabric a dense, squishy texture with excellent drape and minimal curling at the edges. The gauge is 14½ stitches and 30 rows to 4 inches / 10 cm in garter stitch.
• SSK — Slip, slip, knit decrease for left-leaning shaping at the center of each mitered square.
• K2tog — Knit two together decrease for right-leaning shaping at the center of each mitered square.