A Patchwork Crochet Shawl (to use up all those remnants)

Today I'd like to share a shawl I constructed out of remnants. As is common of us yarn fiends, the yarn stash got a bit out of hand, and I needed ways to start using up those small balls of yarns I had accumulated. Seriously, I had filled a whole bin with remnants.

A Good Design Technique

Choose your Yarn

For this project, I found that my best option was to pick out the balls of yarn whose colors matched well enough. As you can see, I chose earth tones, and threw in a little blue and green to make it less boring. You also want the thickness of these to be similar. 

Choose a Stitch Pattern

Once I had set aside all the yarn that matched, I had to consider how heavy or light I wanted the fabric to be. In other words, I had to consider a stitch pattern. Did I want the fabric to be solid and warm, or lacy and airy? I decided on a solid and simple stitch pattern with a simple lace edging for this. I wanted the colors and the textures of the yarns to do all the wow-ing, and I didn't want a complicated stitch pattern to get in the way of that.

My pattern?... a solid double-crochet. Easy-peasy.

Measuring

Use a tape measure to measure around your shoulders. Take that measurement, and add six inches to it. That's how wide you want the shawl to be. If you like, it can even be longer so it can be wrapped around more (for ultra cozy-ness).

Making the Shawl

I wanted this shawl to be as easy as possible, so I simply started by making a chain (this is why I measured the shoulders) that would be long enough to wrap around the shoulders.

Rows: I made easy rows of double-crochet. Remember... you must always start these rows with a ch-3 (the ch-3 represents a DC stitch). I also alternated yarns on every row, which meant that I would tie off at the end of every row, and then slip stitch the new yarn on at the beginning of every row.

Length: As a general rule, I make shawls at least long enough to cover the upper arms.

Decorative Edging

Any simple lace edging will work. For mine, I decided to use a lighter ivory yarn to make this trim and to also create a trim all the way around the entire shawl. 

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I hope you like this little shawl. Check out my other posts for more ideas, patterns, and inspiration!

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