DINO knits: Stegosaurus

In honor of next week's haunted holiday, I thought we might talk about this bright orange shawl next! Stegosaurus is my favorite of the dinoshawls, and not just because she's my favorite color.

The most recognizable characteristic of Stegosaurus is certainly the large hexagonal plates jutting out of its spine. While their purpose is still debated, they do make excellent inspiration for a charming knitted-on border.

This crescent-shaped shawl begins at the top center and grows quickly with double increases at the beginning and end of each row. The scale-like lace pattern is more easily achieved than you might think, with only 6 pattern rows per repeat. And when you reach the end, all those stitches are bound off as you work the spikey border.

SIZE
One size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 50 inches
Height at center: 14 inches

MATERIALS
Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply [100% merino; 366m/400yd per 113g skein]; color: French Marigold; 1 skein
US #6/4mm circular needle
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
20 sts/27 rows = 4 inches in Spade Lace Stitch (chart included in pattern)

BUY IT NOW on Ravelry!

We're half way through the parade of dinosaurs now, but remember, you can get all eight patterns right now in one e-book, also available for purchase through Ravelry, for half the total cost of all of the individual dinoshawl patterns.

DINO knits: Pterodactyl

Though not technically a dinosaur, the inspiration for this next shawl design is often lumped in with them. Pterodactyl was, in fact, a flying reptile.

Soaring through the air with the greatest of ease, its adult wingspan topped out at only about three feet, so you’ll have him bested with this shawl, which reaches over five feet!

This shawl's large swathes of stockinette stitch with simple shaping are easily memorized to keep you aloft for quite some time before having to refer to the pattern again.

SIZE
One size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 63 inches
Height at center: 14 inches

MATERIALS
Frabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat [100% merino; 468m/512yd per 110g skein]; color: Tea Tray; 1 skein
US #6/4mm circular needle
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
19 sts/37 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

BUY IT NOW on Ravelry!

And as always, if you just can't wait five more weeks to collect the whole set of dinoshawls, you can get all eight patterns immediately in one e-book, also available for purchase through Ravelry.

DINO knits: Triceratops

Hooray, it's Friday! That means it's time for another dinosaur shawl! This week, I'm highlighting Triceratops.

A huge crest and three large horns made Triceratops one of the most recognizable dinosaurs. So too is this shawl distinctive with its six-pointed silhouette and stockinette stitch horns on an expanding mesh background.

Worked primarily from charts, the pattern begins at the center, first forming the middle horn as the simple mesh emanates from its sides. Once that horn is complete, the easily memorized mesh will give your brain a break for a bit before beginning the upper horns and progressing into the garter stitch diamonds along the edge of the crest.

SIZE
One size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 40 inches
Height at center: 20 inches

MATERIALS
Cascade Heritage [75% merino, 25% nylon; 400m/437yd per 100g skein]; color: #5617; 1 skein
US #6/4mm circular needle
11 removable stitch markers (optional)
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
21 sts/33 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

BUY IT NOW on Ravelry!

And don't forget! If you just can't wait six more weeks to get your hands on the full set, you can get all eight dinoshawl patterns right now in one e-book, also available for purchase through Ravelry.

DINO knits: Dilophosaurus

Over a year ago, I had this brilliant idea to design a series of knitted shawls inspired by dinosaurs. Yep, dinosaurs. I was so excited, I finished the first one in under three weeks. Unfortunately, life gets in the way, and we don't always have as much time to devote to knitting as we would like. Or we get distracted by other knitting projects or sewing competitions. But I digress. Now, after a full year of doodling, swatching, knitting, ripping, re-knitting, over and over again, I now have eight completed dinoshawl patterns to share with the world! Each is made from a single skein of sock-weight yarn, using a wide variety of stitch patterns and techniques to capture your imagination and hold your interest.

I'm so thrilled to finally be finished with these babies! I think they deserve a parade! So that's what we're gonna do then. I'll be releasing each one as an individual pattern over the next eight weeks - a new dinoshawl every Friday throughout October and November!

It seems only fitting to start off with the original shawl that sparked this whole, crazy circus - the Dilophosaurus! There is no fossil evidence that Dilophosaurus had a vibrantly colored, retractable neck frill which would fan out as it spat venom in your face, as depicted in a popular 90s Hollywood production.

But a little creative license makes for a lot of knitting inspiration. Worked from the center out, this lacy shawl is perfect for those colorful cakes of ombre yarn that always seem to follow you home from the yarn store. Or is that just me?

SIZE
One size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Distance around outer edge: 90 inches
Radius: 15 inches

MATERIALS
Vice Blurred Lines [80% merino, 20% nylon; 549m/600yd per 150g skein];
color: Goddess; 1 skein
US #6/4mm circular needle
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
24 sts/30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

BUY IT NOW on Ravelry!

And in case you just can't wait eight weeks to get your hands on the full set, I've also put all eight dinoshawl patterns together into one e-book, also available for purchase through Ravelry.