Henny Shawl in Rowan Cotton Cashmere - Downloadable PDF

Henny Shawl in Rowan Cotton Cashmere – Pattern Summary

The Henny Shawl is a beautifully simple yet elegant knitted shawl designed by Annika Andrea Wolke and published by Rowan. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this pattern is rated as beginner level, making it an ideal first shawl project for newer knitters while still offering enough creative interest to appeal to more experienced makers. The design is worked in Rowan Cotton Cashmere DK weight yarn and comes in two versions: a striking five-colour striped version and a clean, classic one-colour version, giving knitters the flexibility to choose a project that suits their skill level and aesthetic preference.

What Is Being Made

The Henny Shawl is a large, relaxed shawl designed to be worn around the shoulders or draped loosely as a wrap. Its generous proportions and straightforward construction make it a satisfying knit from cast-on to bind-off. The shawl is worked flat across a long circular needle, building up rows of garter stitch to create a soft, textured fabric with excellent drape — a natural result of the luxurious Cotton Cashmere fibre blend.

Design Versions

Five-Colour Version

The multi-colour version of the Henny Shawl uses five shades of Rowan Cotton Cashmere to create a rhythmic stripe sequence across more than 200 rows. The colours specified in the pattern are:

• Yarn A – Paper 210 (used most extensively as the dominant background stripe colour, requiring 4 x 50g balls)
• Yarn B – Linden Green 220 (1 x 50g ball)
• Yarn C – Golden Dunes 213 (1 x 50g ball)
• Yarn D – Dark Olive 218 (1 x 50g ball)
• Yarn E – Seed 212 (1 x 50g ball)

The stripe sequence is carefully arranged throughout the row count, with Yarn A (Paper 210) appearing repeatedly between accent colour stripes to create a cohesive, harmonious rhythm. Accent stripes range from short two-row stripes to longer sections of six or more rows, giving the finished shawl a dynamic yet balanced palette of warm neutrals and soft greens.

One-Colour Version

For knitters who prefer a more minimalist aesthetic or who are new to working with multiple yarn colours, the pattern also offers a one-colour version. This version requires 6 x 50g balls of a single shade of Rowan Cotton Cashmere. The pattern photographed the one-colour version in Paper 210, a soft, warm off-white that showcases the garter stitch texture beautifully. Working in a single colour also eliminates the need to manage multiple yarn ends, making this version particularly approachable for beginners.

Techniques Used

The Henny Shawl is worked entirely flat, back and forth in rows on a long circular needle. The primary technique throughout the pattern is straightforward row-by-row knitting with colour changes introduced at specific row intervals in the five-colour version. Knitters working the striped version will practise the technique of joining and carrying yarn at the edges, which is a fundamental skill in colourwork knitting. Because stripes are worked in garter stitch rather than a more complex colourwork method such as Fair Isle or intarsia, the colour changes remain simple and manageable even for less experienced knitters.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch – The entire shawl is worked in garter stitch, which means every row is knitted. Garter stitch is one of the most beginner-friendly stitch patterns in knitting, as it requires only the knit stitch and produces a squishy, reversible fabric with natural stretch. It also lies flat without curling, making it particularly well suited to shawls and wraps.

The simplicity of the stitch pattern means that the visual interest in the Henny Shawl comes primarily from the interplay of colours in the