How to Crochet a Shawl
A crochet shawl is nice to have around your shoulders on cold winter nights. A shawl can also dress up an outfit for a special event and doesn't feel as heavy on your shoulders as a jacket. Shawls make practical gifts during the holidays and can be made in a weekend or less. A shawl is a good project to try if you are new to crochet because it involves minimal shaping and only two basic stitches.
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Instructions
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Choosing Yarn and a Hook
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1
Choose a yarn for your shawl that feels soft against your skin. A worsted weight or bulky yarn will create a warm, snugly shawl. For a more delicate and elegant shawl, choose a sport weight or fingering weight yarn.
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2
Choose a hook that fits your yarn. Size G or H is good for worsted weight yarn. Sizes K through P are good with bulky yarn. If you choose thinner yarn, try a hook between size B and F.
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3
Review crochet instructions for the stitches used in this shawl: chain stitch, single crochet stitch and single crochet decrease stitch (see resources below).
Crochet the Shawl
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4
Make a chain that is as long as you want the widest part of the shawl to be.
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5
Single crochet (sc) in the second chain from the hook and across to the opposite end. Turn the work.
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6
Chain (ch) 1, then sc the first two stitches together for a single crochet decrease.
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7
Sc across to the last two stitches. Sc the last two stitches together for another single crochet decrease. Turn.
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8
Ch 1, then sc across. Turn.
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9
Ch 1, sc dec, sc across, sc dec. Turn.
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10
Repeat Steps 8 and 9 so the decreases appear on every other row. You will see the shawl start to narrow on the outside edges forming a triangular shape.
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11
Continue until there is only one stitch left on the hook. Fasten off.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Add a decorative edge to the shawl by joining the yarn to the end of the first row with a single crochet stitch, then chain 3 and single crochet in the end of the next row down the side of the shawl. Repeat to the point of the shawl and then back up the other side to the opposite end of row 1. Fasten off.
Be sure to use the appropriate size hook for your yarn. The hook is too small for your yarn if you find it constantly splitting the yarn strands when you try to complete a stitch.
