Summer Flies
My how summer flies by, but this lacy summer shawl is the perfect accessory to cover bare shoulders on a breezy summer evening. The butterfly and lace motif are accented by an open knotted work trellis, reminiscent of butterflies happily fluttering through your summer garden.
This shawl is worked by sections with increases made only on the right side rows. This creates a gentle curve for a shallow half round shawl. I recommend using natural plant fiber yarn in a DK or worsted weight, but you may use any DK or worsted weight yarn you wish.
(v8 is the most up-to date version, if you have an earlier version please check out the errata page)
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
I am so excited to get this pretty shawl started! I think I will use some beautiful yarn that I have been holding onto for the longest time waiting to become something beautiful. I think I have found it’s deserving pattern!
Hi Ladies-
This is an exquisite shawl and I am sure we are all flooding you with messages that the link says “expired”….ouch and help!
Thanks for generously posting it as a freebie!
Sorry about that. I had it linked incorrectly. Hopefully its now fixed.
Love this! Want to make this one right away.Thanks for sharing your lovely design.
BEAUTIFUL! Can I have a copy of the pattern? I’m not able to get to it through this link.
THANKS! Happy Sunday to you!!
You should be able to download it now. If you still have trouble email hollyandellaknits@gmail.com and I will get it to you.
What a gorgeous pattern! You’re so generous to share it. And for us newbie lace knitters, handling worsted weight wool seems like a safe way to start. Thanks again!
Natalie
Beautiful shawl. Clearly written and nicely laid out pattern. I am usually a charts only kind of girl, but I am so glad that I decided to make this anyway. Many thanks for sharing your creativity.
Dee
I LOVE this shawl!! It’s a really fun knit and looks beautiful! Can’t wait to see what new things you both come up with ! Wishing you both continued sucess!
I’ve been SEARCHING for the right weight shawl, stole, or shrug to wear as a light cover at work when a sweater is too much. This looks like it! Finally. . . ‘-)
That shawl is absolutely gorgeous! I have the perfect lace merino for this pattern. Thanks so much!
Just looked up how to do Picot Edge bind off and then will be finished with this shawl. It is a very easy pattern to read and do. Hope my daughter in law likes it.
Thanks for the pattern. Jacque
What a gorgeous pattern. Looks like alot of work. I am new to this page.
I am so glad to finally find this pattern. I have seen it and wanted to knit it because i love lace. and shawls.Thanks again.
Hi Holly
I wrote you a note but I don’t know if you got it.. Anyway, I want to enlarge the Summer Flies shawl by adding another butterfly section _after_ section 5(ridged eyelet), then another section 5 . Then the knotted Open work I assume will work out , etc. Will this work?
so it will read: Sections 1,2,3,4,5,… another butterfly…,eyelet ridge, Knotted Open work, ruffle Edge.
this is my second shawl and plan to make more but want larger. Hope you can help
Thanks Dixie
Hi Dixie
I have the same question as you do and was hoping you recieved a reply. If you did can you send me the response?
Thanks Joann
Please sent me the Pattern of summer Flies shawl by Holly and Ella knits
Hi Sheela! Please send your request to hollyandellaknits@gmail.com and we will be happy to send you a copy!
I made this up in lace weight yarn on larger sized needles. WOW! Thanks for the pattern. Using a larger needle will enlarge the pattern. I would like to know about the above pattern increases the other two ladies asked about. Please e-mail me at shelee@bellsouth.net with the answer. I would like to make it about 28inches at center back. So, will the repeats and increases asked about work. If not, what will. Thank you for a speedy response. LG
I knit 2 of these this summer! I did one for my self, which turned out absoultly beautiful and my 6 year old daugher loved it and asked for one. I knit hers in a sparlky pink yarn and she wears it to school!
love love love this pattern!
Please send me shawl pattern. It looks so beautiful; can’t
wait to knit it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks a lot for sharing this lovely pattern.
Finished my Summer Flies yesterday, knitted it in a minty color, just lovely….
Please tell me how retrieve the pattern for Summer Flies
Thanks Kathy
Hi Kathy! You can download the Summer Flies here!
I am very new at knitting and I don’t understand the cast on for this beautiful shawl. Can someone help me or is there a chart (I’m better on charts) for this out there somewhere? Thank you so much!
Unfortunately I don’t have a chart for the cast-on method but I will post a picture of what it should look like. That should help. I will get back with you soon!
Just checking to make sure you were aware of the ‘cast on’ blog post! Hope it helps!
Thank you so much!
Me gusto mucho y espero que sugan presentando mas modelos igual de bonitos ya lo elabore y me quedo muy bien, felicidades
Son muy bienvenidos
I am so excited to begin this shawl. However, I too am having trouble understanding the cast on. I keep experimenting with practice yarn but just can’t seem to quite get it right. I would love some help because I have a feeling that I will make this for all the women in my family!
Hi Julie! Our latest blog post gives all the details on the cast on – we even have pics to go along!
If you are still having problems, let me know and I will try to help you past the tricky parts!
Hi,
I am having trouble understanding the cast on part up to the 9 stitches…can you help me?
Jill
Hi Jill! Have you tried the details outlined here?
Hope that helps!
Hola la verdad es divino, me pude bajar el patrón, pero lamentablemente no entiendo ingles, seria bueno que alguien pudiera traducirlo en español.
Besos
Andrea
I really appreciate the clarity of the Summerflies pattern. I am breezing through it in no time! The simplicity of the butterflies in eyelet and the interest of the knotted openwork section are amazing. Thank you.
okay, just found you through Ravelry. I have been trying to learn to knit lace and just can’t seem to
follow a pattern to save my life. I downloaded your pattern for fireflies and it is the first pattern I have
ever seen that I actually think I can follow – line by line – I love YOU for writing this way – why can’t
this be universal for knitting patterns – you two are amazing. Thank you. I am going to try this as
my first lace pattern. You should give a course to ALL knit pattern writers – THIS is the way to write
a pattern!!!!!!! ~~ janelle
About to bind off. My friend picked this pattern for me to knit for her wedding day shawl, I added an extra sections of Butterflies & Ridged Eyelet, (only one row of math for butterflies). Very easy. I can’t wait to block. It is lovely in Ivory Silk.
When I received an email from The Good Yarn shop in Florida I saw a photo of your shawl. I did a web search and bingo there it was and the download was free. THANKYOU! My sister is turning 70 in July and I have the perfect yarn purchased at the Good Yarn this winter for the shawl. I hope she will like it. Again thankyou so much for the download. Patricia
I am interested in a larger version. Someone told me to look on your site. I can’t seem to find it.
Did you look on Ravelry, by chance? I knew there was — once upon a time — a discussion about this very thing.
-Jason
Just finished this shawl. This pattern was so much fun to do and went really fast! I used Bonnie’s Bamboo and it is SO beautiful! Want to do another one and also do a Little Shells shawl. Thanks for the beautiful patterns!
How can I get this pattern?
I’m sorry. Are you having problems downloading it?
-Jason
Are you having troubles downloading it?
-Jason
I finished it in 3 days and I am about to start another. It is so beautiful.
I’m not the greatest knitter, but I love the look of this and I love the way it’s written, however, there is a stitch that I’ve never run across before and that is M1… make one stitch. What does that mean.? Thanks for the help.
Hi: What a beautiful shawl. I have two questions. One, if I use a fingering weight yarn can I use a size 10 needle? Secondly, I am interested in making the shawl larger. Any suggestions you can offer to enlarge the pattern somewhere within the shawl? Has anyone enlarged the pattern yet? Thank you and again a super well written patt. Anxious to hear from you ……. lucy
Just thought I’d let you know, I’m loving this pattern. So easy to remember. I’m working it with Plymouth Royal Bamboo and I’m almost through with the openwork section. I’m looking forward to finishing it and wearing it. Thanks for the free pattern.
Just finished SummerFlies and it is the most beautiful thing I have ever made!
The pattern was so well written and easy to follow. Looking forward to wearing it to my daughters wedding this summer!
Thanks for the pattern.
Hallo!
Could you explain me the part of the 6 Section means:
PASS 1st knit ST over last 2 knitted Sts
i don’t understand and i doesn’t found it on youtube or other.
it’s a wunderful shawl!!
Thank you for the pattern !!!!
alysha
This stitch pattern is created by passing the first knitted stitch over the last two. So, in other words when the 3 st’s are on your right needle, count 3 st’s, take that 3rd st and pass it over the first 2 on the right needle. That 3rd st is actually the first one you knitted of the 3. Hope that makes sense!!
Hi Alysha! This stitch pattern is created by passing the first knitted stitch over the last two. So, in other words when the 3 st’s are on your right needle, count 3 st’s, take that 3rd st and pass it over the first 2 on the right needle. That 3rd st is actually the first one you knitted of the 3. Sorry it has taken so long for me to reply!
thank you for sharing this beautiful pattern .i appreciate this share with all of us .
Thank You for a great, beautiful and easy to knit pattern!
I knitted my shawl in a 100% cotton yarn and it turned into a beautiful, heavy and cool shawl. Perfect for warm summer evenings.
Once again thank you soooo much!
Martina, Stockholm, Sweden
Very beautiful! I can’t wait to get started on this pattern, thank you so much for posting!
I LOVE Summer Flies and am getting ready to knit one! I am somewhat of a “newbie” and would like to know what needle size do you recommend for Sport weight and Sock weight for this shawl? Thanks!
I was intimidated when I first saw this shawl and then amazed at how simple it really is. I really appreciate how the pattern is written out row by row and with the number of stitches listed. I wish all pattern designers would write out their patterns this way.
I made the first one out of a cotton and silk blend in a rich burnt orange and section 6 in a verigated silk. I love the way it turned out
I bought yarn today and plan to start another one in completely different colors and plan to alternate sections with solid color and verigated. 
I am so happy this pattern worked out for you! Being a new designer, I tried to be conscious of what worked for me when I was reading a pattern. I am glad you thought it was helpful!
I have a question about the knotted open work section: (YO, K3, PASS) What does PASS mean?
I know PSSO, but have not seen this PASS before.
Thanks so much, I am flying along with your pattern, thanks so much for sharing it!
Pat
Hi Pat! I believe PSSO means pass slipped stitch over. Since there is no slipped stitch I just indicated the process with PASS.
Hope that makes sense!!
This is such a lovely pattern! Thank you so much for allowing us to use it–I’ve got to find a special yarn for it.
What a beautiful shawl!!! I can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks for sharing. btw – if you are having problems downloading, try pressing your CTRL key at the same time as you click on the download key. This clears any pop-ups that are being blocked by your computer’s anti-virus software.
SummerFlies is one of the best patterns I’ve used in a long, long time. It is clearly written and I love that at the end of each rs there is a stitch count given. What a pleasure to knit this shawlette !
Awwww! Thanks! I am happy you are enjoying it!
I am unable to download this wonderful pattern. Please would you send it to me? Much thanks! Julie
Hi! On Row 20, love it so far.
However, that gauge doesn’t seem right. 12 st = 4 inches? I had to switch to size 10 needles to get that gauge with comparable yarn. Am I reading the gauge right? Thanks in advance.
Having difficulty downloading Summerflies from ravelry. In addition would also like to know the possibility of converting this beautiful shawl, which I plan to knit for myself, into a poncho for my granddaughter. Any suggestions. Thank you so much.
I guess I am not the only one who would like to make this bigger, at what point can this be done?
I notice there are no answers to the other questions of enlarging, does this mean that there isn’t one? Wonderful shawl and works on all kinds of yarns with much success.
Thanks,
Lynn
I love this shawl. It is so pretty. I’m making it as a surprise for my sister. I know she will love it. Thank you for a wonderful pattern.
You are welcome and I hope she loves it!! <3
I made this up in cotton and LOVE IT. Wish like others who have posted that there was an expanded version, as I’d rather have the shawl about 6-8 inches longer.
Hi Sharon! I am seriously considering doing an expanded version of the original Summer Flies. Look for it in the next few months!
Hi, this is a wonderful, beautiful shawl. I am completeing it, but can’t find the video with instructions to do the picot edge. Are there written instructions for that technique? Thanks.
Yes there are written instructions for the picot edge but you can also find the link here
Each time I read this I discover something I previously overlooked! These suggestions are invaluable to me as an individual.
I made this shawl with two orphan balls of Cascade 220. It is a perfect shawl becuz: it’s easy; it’s got distinct sections which allows for stitch variety and short-term goals to accomplish; there’s no V in the back that has to be lined up with your butt-crack (that’s important if you’re carrying ANY extra weight back there); and I get lots of compliments. Everyone in the local knitting group is making it. Oh, did I mention — it’s really pretty.
I just love this pattern. We were on a car trip over Labor Day weekend and I knit up two of them! One I made in a variegated sock yarn on size 6 needles and the second on size 8 in a solid navy blue. Both are exquisite and I get compliments every time I wear them! Thank for sharing your love of knitting and design. Now I plan to make ” Little Shells”.
Almost finished with this shawl and plan to make another one. This was easy to do so far. I’ll see how the picot bind off does.
ES BELLISIMO EL CHAL. PERO ME GUSTARIAN LAS INSTRUCCIONES EN ESPAÑOL.
FELICIDADES OTRA VEZ ES MUY LINDO
I cannot figure out how to start this project. It seems so simple, yet I find that these first 9 stitches are really hard for me. Do you have a video for the beginning of this project?
Hi Nancy! There is no video as of yet but it is something that I plan to do! Here is a link to the tab insert instructions I have in a blog post. If all else fails – you can just cast on 9 sts and then begin. But give this a try first! good luck and let me know it turns out for you!
Who says Spanish speakers don’t knit?!?
-ieJasonW
{ 22 trackbacks }