Betsy Trotwood's bulky triangle shawl

"When I had bathed, they...enrobed me in a shirt and a pair of trowsers belonging to Mr. Dick, and tied me up in two or three great shawls. What sort of bundle I looked like, I don't know, but I felt a very hot one." - David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

If you live in a colder climate, and wish you had a nice heavy shawl to wrap yourself in like David, but aren't very skilled at knitting (or you just want a pattern that's hassle-free), you can't go wrong with this Triangle Shawl pattern.

Hint: it's a good idea to make this around the beginning of fall, so that you have it for when the cold weather sets in.

You will need:

• About 640 yards of bulky yarn (I recommend yarn from the Brown Sheep Company)
• Circular knitting needles, U.S. size 15

  
Directions:

Cast on 2 stitches. Knit one row and begin increasing as follows: knit into the front loop, and then into the back loop of the same stitch. Turn, knit to last stitch, and increase the same way as before. Continue this pattern until there are 120 stitches. Bind off very loosely.
With the remainder yarn, attach a fringe along the two shorter edges (see picture).

(If you don't understand any part of the pattern, you can go here for free knitting tutorial videos.)

Tie around yourself, or any long-lost nephews that turn up on your doorstep!