Fraser Tartan Shawl Knitting Pattern

Inspired by the beautiful Fraser tartan seen in Outlander, this knitted shawl pattern is perfect for anyone who loves cozy, rustic knits with a touch of Highland charm.

The Fraser Tartan Shawl is worked flat in simple garter stitch stripes, then transformed with a woven plaid effect added afterward.

This makes it a relaxing knit with an impressive finished look — ideal if you want to create a large blanket-style shawl without complicated colorwork.

Knit with two strands of worsted/Aran yarn held together, this shawl has a lovely weight and warmth, making it perfect for layering on chilly days, wearing as a wrap, or styling as part of an Outlander-inspired outfit.

The full pattern is free below, or you can purchase the ad-free printable PDF here.

Before You Get Started

• Before you begin, take a little time to choose your colors and gather your supplies.
• The shawl uses a striped knitted base first, then the vertical strands are woven through the finished fabric to create the tartan/plaid design.
• This is a great project for advanced beginners, as the main body is worked in garter stitch, with the first stitch of each row slipped to create a neat edge.
• You’ll need to be comfortable changing colors, weaving in ends, and using a darning needle to add the woven plaid detail.
• The yarn is held double throughout, so make sure you have enough of each color before you start.
• You can follow the Fraser-inspired color palette used here, or choose your own shades to create a custom tartan-style shawl.

Outlander Tartan

The shawl’s colors and designs were inspired by the Fraser Tartan seen in the Outlander series.

With more muted colors than the MacKenzie tartan, the shawl could be worked up in any color.

I chose colors from the Cascade 220 palette that I thought would match the tartan, as you can see below.

Fraser Tartan Shawl Knitting Pattern

Skill Level – Easy (Advanced beginner)

Notes

The Fraser tartan shawl knits up quickly, and the simple design makes for a relaxing and enjoyable knit.

• The shawl is worked flat in back-and-forth rows.
• The first stitch of each row is slipped to create a clean selvedge edge.
• Do not carry the unused color up the side of the work.
• Vertical stripes are woven in after the knitted base of the shawl is complete.
• The fringe is added by creating tassels.
• The yarn is knit with two strands together for the shawl, and also when you weave the plaid.

Size Information

• One size
• The shawl measures – lying flat and unstretched: Length – 64 inches/163 cm / Width – 28 inches/71 cm
• You may want to make the shawl longer or wider, depending on your own preference.
• If you do decide to make it longer and wider, this will be a good throw blanket!

Gauge

10 x 10 cm/4 x 4 inches = 12 sts/24 rows in garter stitch.

Materials

Yarn

• Yarn – Cascade 220/100g/219 yds/200m.
• Yarn A – Beige 2441 x 3
• Yarn B – Brown 8013 x 3
• Yarn C – Red 1000 x 1
• Yarn D – Mustard – 4010 x 1
• Yarn E – Grey – 8401 x 3
• Yarn F – Dark Brown – 2431 x 1

Yarn notes

• Please note that the yarn used is 100% wool.
• You can substitute with any Aran/worsted/10-ply yarn.
• Yarn weight – Medium Weight Yarn 04/Worsted/Aran/10 Ply (Yarn Weight Guide (+ Conversion Chart))
• This yarn is knit with two strands together.

Needles

• 8 mm (US 11) knitting needles. I used my interchangeable circular needles on a 100cm/40′′ cable.
• I did not join in the round to knit the shawl.

Hook

• 5.5mm (US 9/I) hook
• This is needed for the tassels.

Notions

• Tape measure
• Darning needle
• Scissors

Abbreviations

Knitting Abbreviations And Terms (US And UK)

• Beg – Beginning
• Cont – Continue
• CO – Cast on
• Foll – Following
• K – Knit
• P – Purl
• St – Stitch
• Rem – Remaining
• Rep – Repeat
• RS – Right side
• WS – Wrong side

Pattern Instructions

*Always slip the first st of every row purlwise to get a nice finished edge.

With Yarn A Cast on 80 sts.

• In Yarn A – K 12 rows slip the 1st stitch purlwise.
• Change to Yarn B – K 2 rows.
• Change to Yarn A – K 12 rows.
• Change to Yarn C – K 2 rows.
• Change to Yarn B – K 12 rows.
• Change to Yarn D – K 2 rows.
• Change to Yarn E – K 24 rows.
• Change to Yarn D – K 2 rows.
• Change to Yarn B – K 12 rows.
• Change to Yarn C – K 2 rows.

Rep the color sequence above until you have worked it 3 times more.

*Please see the color chart below for the color repeat sequence.

You will then repeat the following:

• Change to Yarn A – K 12 rows.
• Change to Yarn B – K 2 rows.
• Change to Yarn A – K 12 rows.

Cast off.

Weave in all of the ends.

Creating The Tartan Look

• Once you have finished the main body of the shawl, you will start to weave yarn through the length of the shawl to create the tartan effect.
• I have used a full weaving technique across the entire shawl to create a plaid/tartan effect that completely transforms the fabric.
• You can see a tutorial on my YouTube channel here.

Weaving

Lie the shawl out flat on a table (desk, dining table, or floor) so that you can weave it easily.

Long strands of yarn are now woven vertically to create the plaid effect.

You will need to use three colors:

• Yarn C (red),
• Yarn D (mustard)
• Yarn F (dark brown).

Tip > I didn’t cut the length of yarn I was using, not until I had finished weaving it through the fabric.

Get two strands together – The best way to do this is to pull the center end out of the ball and hold it together with the outer end so you can use two lengths at a time.

There is a repeat pattern of the colors that you are weaving. You can of course change this if you want to create a different color scheme or pattern of weaving.

The repeat pattern is like this:

1. Yarn D (red)
2. Yarn F (brown)
3. Yarn F (brown)
4. Yarn C (mustard)
5. Miss 2 rows
6. Yarn C (mustard)
7. Yarn F (brown)
8. Yarn F (brown)
9. Yarn D (red)
10. Miss 2 rows
11. Yarn F (brown)
12. Yarn F (brown)
13. Miss 2 rows

The Repeat Pattern

This repeats, so you will do a rotation of the colors in this pattern until you reach the left side of the shawl.

You may want to do 1 strand of Yarn F on either side of the shawl as an edge – then start 2 rows in with Yarn D after that.

Or you may want to start from the middle of the shawl and work out on either side. (For the demonstration below, I am using a knitted sample.)

Step 1

• Start at the cast-on edge at the bottom right-hand side, and begin weaving vertically into the first st along the left edge (the first garter st bump)in from the slipped st edge, going under and over two rows at a time.
• Pull the lengths through so that they are even at either end of the shawl.
• Below are a photo and a sketch from my sketchbook of the color pattern that will be woven into the shawl.

Step 2

If you want to start off with an edge color in brown, thread Yarn F (brown) double-strand onto the needle and weave into the 2nd st along the right edge, going under and over the garter st bumps to create a woven effect.

Step 3

Miss two rows, then thread Yarn D double-strand onto the needle and weave into the opposing st along the row, this time going under and over the opposite row already done to create a woven effect.

Step 4

• Continue with double strands of each color, following the repeat color pattern.
• Weaving under and over opposite the rows each time.
• You can use a ruler to help guide you with the row you are working on if you need to.

The Fringe

• Using Yarn B – Cut double-strand lengths of yarn approx – 12 inches/31 cm long.
• Using a crochet hook, hook through the edge of the shawl from the underside.
• Double the strands into a loop and pull through the stitch with your hook.
• Pull the ends of the yarn through the loop and secure it.
• Repeat all along the edge of the fabric.
• You can weave in the colored strands left from weaving the tartan plaid or you can leave them longer to mix in with your fringe.
• Once you have finished your fringe you can trim it to an even length.
• You can see a tutorial on my YouTube channel here.

Share Your Make

I love seeing your finished projects.

If you enjoyed making the shawl, I’d love to see yours on Instagram, tag me @handylittleme or #handylittleme.

I’d love to see your work!

More Outlander Knitting Patterns

Check out all of the Outlander free knitting patterns here. – Outlander Pattern Library

You can see a roundup of Outlander Knitting Patterns here – Outlander Patterns {Beginner + Intermediate}

There are also the Outlander Pattern Collection Ebooks you can view in my shop below:

• The Ultimate Outlander Knitting Pattern Collection – With 39 Knitting Patterns.
• The Complete Outlander Knitting Pattern Bundle – With 55 Knitting Patterns

You may also like this matching dog sweater – Fraser Tartan Dog Sweater Pattern. And this Fraser Tartan Scarf Knitting Pattern.

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Helpful Resources

This pattern is great for any advanced beginner knitters.

• Knitting cast-on methods
• Knitting Lessons
• How to cast on knitting
• How to cast off knitting for total beginners (step by step)
• How to knit garter stitch
• How to knit the purl stitch (for beginners + a video tutorial)
• How to knit stockinette stitch (for beginners)
• How to read knitting patterns for beginners
• Knitting abbreviations and terms (US and UK)
• How to knit rib stitch
• How to knit – A complete beginner’s guide