Knit Shawl in King Cole Curiosity DK - E1000 - Downloadable PDF

Knit Shawl in King Cole Curiosity DK – Pattern E1000 by Melissa Leapman

This beautifully designed knit shawl pattern, catalogued as E1000 and created by renowned designer Melissa Leapman, is published by King Cole and available as a downloadable PDF. Worked in the luxurious King Cole Curiosity DK yarn, this shawl is an excellent project for beginner knitters looking to explore elegant shawl construction with satisfying, rhythmic stitch patterns. The finished shawl measures approximately 80 cm (31 inches) in length, making it a versatile accessory suitable for year-round wear.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single, gracefully shaped triangular shawl. Its flowing silhouette and textured surface make it ideal as a lightweight wrap, a decorative shoulder piece, or a cosy layering accessory. The design is well-suited to the colour-shifting properties of King Cole Curiosity DK, which allows the stitch patterns to be showcased in an ever-changing palette without the need for complex colourwork.

Construction Method

The shawl is constructed top-down, beginning with a small stockinette tab cast-on of just 3 stitches. This technique is a popular approach in modern shawl knitting because it creates a neat, tidy starting point at the apex of the triangle and avoids the need for any awkward seaming later. From this tab, the shawl grows outward through a series of regular increases.

• 6 stitches are increased every 2 rows, creating the characteristic triangular spread of the fabric.
• Increases are placed 2 stitches inside the outside borders and 2 stitches on either side of the central "spine" stitches, a classic construction detail that gives the shawl its symmetrical, balanced shape.
• Stitch markers are used throughout to track the spine and border positions, making the pattern easy to follow even for those newer to shawl knitting.

The shawl grows through a carefully sequenced series of charted sections, building in complexity and stitch count as the rows progress. By the time the main body is complete, the shawl reaches an impressive 395 stitches before the final border sections bring it to 407 stitches.

Techniques Used

• Stockinette tab cast-on – a tidy, professional starting method for top-down triangular shawls.
• Top-down triangular shawl construction – working from the neck edge outward to the lower border.
• Regular symmetrical increases – placed at consistent intervals to shape the triangle evenly on both sides of the spine.
• Charted knitting – the pattern uses multiple charts (Chart A, Chart B, and Chart C) to guide the knitter through the stitch pattern repeats. Chart A forms the main body with a 24-row repeat, Chart B provides a transitional section worked over 4 rows, and Chart C introduces the final decorative border worked over 16 rows.
• Stitch marker placement and slipping – markers are placed and slipped throughout to keep the pattern sections clearly delineated.
• Bind-off – a specific bind-off method is described in the pattern to finish the lower edge neatly.

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a range of fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches, all of which are clearly abbreviated and explained within the leaflet:

• Knit (k) – the foundational knitting stitch used throughout.
• Purl (p) – used on wrong-side rows and within border sections.
• K2tog (knit 2 together) – a standard right-leaning decrease used to shape the fabric within the stitch pattern.
• SSK (slip, slip, knit) – a left-leaning decrease that mirrors the k2tog for balanced shaping; worked by slipping 1 stitch knitwise, knitting 1, then passing the slipped stitch over.
• SS2K (slip 2 stitches together knitwise, k1, pass 2 sl