Crochet Shawl

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to make her up a crochet shawl that she could wear to her brother’s wedding.  It was taking place in northern Michigan, where temperatures could get chilly, and the dress she was planning to wear was sleeveless.  She selected the yarn color, and sent me a pattern, so I sat down to get to work.  

It wasn’t until after I started that I realized she had sent me a knit pattern instead of a crochet one.  That was a big problem, because while I can do some basic knitting, it’s definitely a project that would take me months, rather than mere weeks to make.  So I took the pattern and used it as a sort of inspiration piece (which I strayed drastically from) and made up a crochet shawl all my own!

To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever made a crochet shawl before, especially not without a pattern.  But it was so much fun to do.  Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of rows that I had to rip out that didn’t work for one reason or another, and I made extensive use of triple crochets in order to get the length done by the deadline she needed it for before the wedding.  To my surprise, the airy triples gave it a drape that is more common to knitting, without sacrificing warmth. 

I took notes as I went along on the back of scrap paper and envelopes that I had sitting around in case it turned out nice and I wanted to make it again.  I think that I wouldn’t mind at all having a version for myself.  So as I gather these messy notes together, I think I’ll make it into a pattern that will be free for all, in case anyone else wants to make one too.  So stay tuned in the next few weeks while I get that together!

Even though the wedding weekend turned out to be a warm one for her after all, my friend loves the shawl and got many compliments on it.  I can’t wait to make up another one for myself!

~Mellie ★