Knit Your Shawl & Wear It

Do you wear the shawls you knit?

It turns out that many of us love to knit shawls but we don’t actually wear them. Are there gorgeous shawls hiding in your closet that have never seen the light of day? ?

If you’ve been hesitant to wear your shawls because you’re worried about the Shawl Police, here’s the deal: You can’t actually wear a shawl the wrong way — not really. I’ve spent the last few years studying fashion and personal style, and it turns out that the only thing that stands between a questionable fashion choice and a bold fashion statement is this: ATTITUDE. 

If you love it, then you can rock it. 

A shawl is just an accessory, which means you get a lot of wiggle room in the way you want to wear it. Unlike a pair of underwear that is designed to be worn in one very specific way in order to get the job done — a shawl is the perfect “extra” for self-expression. If you like the way it looks and feels with your outfit, the way you wear it and wrap it is up to you. Wear it backward, upside down, inside out, loose, tied, looped, or knotted; it’s your call.

One thing that makes shawl-wearing easier is knitting shawls you’ll really WANT to wear — right out of the gate. Here are some ways to go about it:

1. Before you start knitting, take the yarn you’d like to use and go stand in front of your closet (or if you haven’t bought the yarn yet, take your phone, tablet or device into your closet and look at the photo against your wardrobe). What will you wear it with? Does it go well with the clothes you wear most often? Will it match the special occasion outfit you had in mind?
2. If your closet is full of bright colors consider a neutral shawl that you can wear with more items in your closet. Neutral shawls might seem a little boring at the outset, but you’ll get a LOT more wear from your shawls if you’re not struggling to find clothes to match.
3. If your closet is quite neutral already, consider knitting shawls in bold pops of color, or accent colors that work with a lot of what you already wear. I like to pair two neutrals with one pop of color – so if I have a neutral outfit in a solid color, I’ll add a two-color shawl that has one neutral and one pop of color. If I have an outfit that is two neutrals (like navy and white stripes), I’ll wear a solid color shawl in a bold color (like tangerine, red, or honey gold). Do what works for you!

Now, go forth and wear your shawls! Here’s a little inspiration to get you started. (And if you find a new favorite, click the photo to be taken to the source. 

Pictured above: Forest Grove Shawl from Knit Shawls & Wraps in 1 Week by Marie Greene