Instructions for a Crocheted Prayer Shawl

Crochet a prayer shawl for someone and pray for his health and happiness as you work.

Prayer shawls are wraps that you make for someone else, sending positive thoughts and prayers to that person in addition to the shawl itself. When you make a crocheted prayer shawl, you pray for the health, safety or peace of the person who will receive it. It could be someone you know personally or perhaps you will make the shawls to donate to a charity organization or a hospital. In any case, the recipient of your crocheted prayer shawl will appreciate the skill and prayers that went into the project. You will need a basic understanding of crochet stitches to complete this prayer shawl.

Things You'll Need

• Yarn
• Crochet hook
• Scissors
• Large-eye blunt needle

Instructions

1. Say a prayer for the person who will receive your shawl. If you know the person, you might include specific requests in your prayers that the person's health will take a positive turn or that she will receive blessings for a new job or an answer to a problem she is having. If you do not know the person and plan to send the shawl to a charity, you can just pray in general that the person receives blessings and positive changes in her life.

2. Make a starting chain that is as long as you want the shawl to be; a standard, generous size would be approximately 40 to 60 inches in length. Single-crochet in the second chain from the hook and in every chain across.

3. Make three chain stitches and then make a double-crochet stitch in the second single crochet in the row and every single crochet across.

4. Make one chain stitch and then make a single crochet in every double crochet across the row, including the top of the turning chain-three stitch you made in the beginning of Step 3.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until the shawl reaches its desired width, ending with a Step 4 row. Continue to say prayers for the person as you work on the shawl, and again when it is finished before sending it off to its new owner. Finish off the shawl and weave in your ends using a large-eye blunt needle.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use any stitch pattern or combination of stitches to crochet a prayer shawl for someone; the point is that you put your talents and prayers into creating a shawl or wrap for someone who needs it.

References

• Crochet Pattern Central: Shawls and Stoles
• Shawl Ministry: Prayer Shawl Instructions