I’m interrupting my series on How to Design Crochet Patterns to bring you my latest project.  Don’t worry though, I’ll be continuing this next time, I just thought it was time for a new crochet pattern!

Following working on my Atlantic Lace Shawl I thought it would be fun to work on some more ocean themed shawls, and when I saw this pretty variegated yarn from Hand Dyed by Kate I knew I had to have it for this project.  The colourway is called “Mermaids” and it’s a sock weight (4ply) yarn made from merino, silk and yak.  Yes yak! This is my first time trying yak fibre and it’s lovely!

This shawl is super simple and is based on a one row repeat – and so you can size up your yarn if you prefer to use dk.  Because it is so simple you really could substitute any yarn you like with a matching hook size.

I have gone for stripes because I like how they give some visual structure to the pooling of colours when using a variegated yarn, and I also I like the geometric take on ripples made by following this design.

Scroll down for pdf patterns and chart! (US and UK notation)

Materials:

• 5mm hook
• 5 stitch markers (essential)
• 640m (175g) blue-tone variegated sock yarn (custom order the same as I used here)
• 500m (140g) Rowan Wool Cotton 4ply in White

Any brand of yarn is fine to use, but I recommend a yarn with some animal fibre in the mix to add stretch.  I think 100% cotton could risk the shawl being heavy.

Pattern Overview:

The shape of this shawl is essentially 4 trapezium shaped panels with a long triangle on either end.  It’s sort of like a hexagon shaped poncho with 2 modified panels turning it into a shawl.  You will need to use the stitch markers to mark the transition between edge triangle and panel 1, panel 1 and panel 2, and so on, so that the increases are worked in the right place to get the hexagon-y shaped corners.

The design is begins with the inside (short) edges of the trapezium panels and is worked in rows, growing the panels and creating the edge triangles as you go.

Your starting chain defines the inside length of the shawl (the bit that goes around your neck).  If you wish to adjust this (for example if you are working in dk yarn) then you will need to subtract multiples of 4 (one stitch for each panel) from the initial chain length.

Pattern:

Foundation Row: Either fsc 82, OR ch83, turn and sc in each ch to make a foundation row of 82 sts.

Place a stitch marker in the final st in the foundation row (i.e. the stitch just worked).  Place the remaining stitch markers at 20st intervals, leaving one stitch left over at the end.

Row 1:  Ch4 (counts as tr), turn, (dc, hdc, sc) all in st where st marker is, replace st marker into sc just made. *Sc into each st until next st marker, (2sc), replace st marker in last sc made, repeat from * until final st remains. Work (sc, hdc, dc, tr) into final st. (92sts – 4 in each edge panel and 21 in each middle panel)

Row 2:  Ch4 (counts as tr), turn, (dc, hdc, sc) all into the first st (so that with the ch4 there are 4 sts worked into one st). *Sc into each st until next st marker, (2sc), replace st marker in last sc made, repeat from * 4 more times (i.e. no st markers remain). Sc until there is one stitch left in the row.  Work (sc, hdc, dc, tr) into final st. (103sts –  7 in last edge panel worked, 8 in first edge panel worked, and 22 in each middle panel).

Row 3: Repeat row 2. (114sts –  11 each edge panel and 23 in each middle panel).

Continue to repeat row 2, changing colours as desired at the start of a row, until shawl is desired width and length.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

For a full stitch count for each row, see the downloadable pdf at the bottom of the page.

Colour Changes:

I went for a gradient stripe effect by alternating colours changing at the start of the following rows:

4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 18, 22, 24, 28, 30, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 50, 52, 56, 58, 62, 64 (ending on row 69)

Please feel free to change colours as you prefer for your design or depending on the yarn you have available!

Further Modifications:

If you are looking for less of a wraparound effect (or don’t have quite enough yarn) then you can make this shawl with 3 or even just 2 of the middle trapezium shaped panels, instead of the 4 panels used in the pattern.  Just subtract 20 (or 40) stitches form the foundation chain and use 1 (or 2) less stitch markers.  The effect would be more scarf like because of the width to length ratio altering.

Final Measurements:

My shawl measures 11 inches deep and has a wingspan (measured from tip to tip around the inside of the neckline) of 92 inches.  This project has pretty long ends which are great for holding the shawl in place without adding bulk!

Blocking:

I blocked my shawl to stop the tips from curling around.  I wet blocked in two stages because I wanted to make sure none of the hand dyed colour ran into the white stripes (and as you can see the ends overlap when the piece is laid out flat).  Block yours using your preferred method for your yarn type.

I hope you enjoy this pattern!  What colour combinations will you use?

Downloadable pdf patterns:
Pacific Rim Shawl US
Pacific Rim Shawl UK
Pacific Rim Shawl Chart