My Shells on the Beach crochet shawl pattern is now available from my Ravelry or Etsy stores as an individual pattern including, for the first time, a US terminology version in addition to the original UK terminology version. The new version of the pattern also includes bonus guidelines for adding beads to the edge and working with other yarn types.
I created this shawl design for Simply Crochet Magazine’s Hook to Hook Designer Challenge, where two designers are given the same brief and yarn and create a design in their own style to fit the brief. I enjoy following the challenge each month and seeing yarns presented in such different designs.
I pictured the silky yarn I was sent, West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite 4ply which is a silk wool blend, as a fluid, drapey shawl worn for a sunset beach walk on a warm summer’s evening. This shell and chain loop stitch seemed perfect combined with a delicate border to create a pretty silhouette without extra weight. I sent that design along with two other summer shawls to the editor to make sure the two designers' challenge designs weren't too similar but I felt quite sure this was the one that would be chosen. I sent the two unused designs to another publisher and one of them will be published in Spring 2024, so if you like this type of shawl and want to hear of another crochet shawl pattern release, sign up to my mailing list and you'll know as soon as it's available! You can read more about creating the pattern and seeing it in the magazine in this blog post.
I absolutely loved the silk wool blend I was sent and highly recommend it. In fact I've been recommending it to lots of magazines when I send designs to them. It's just the kind of yarn I love to work with and works well for the type of things I design. I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea though or maybe you just can't get hold of it. Do you need to substitute yarns? A superwash wool 4ply/fingering is easy to find in most places but any wool or wool blend yarn of that weight should work, so feel free to select a non-superwash or perhaps a sock yarn. If wool isn't your preference, that's fine. Maybe you'd like to use an acrylic and I think it could work well in cotton or alpaca too.
You can absolutely substitute other weights of yarn too, I think anything from laceweight to aran/worsted would work well. In fact, this design was based on a shawl I made mostly in January 2019 using an aran weight natural wool yarn and coincidentally it was one by the same manufacturer, West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Aran. The colourways they have in that yarn are lovely. Confession. I only wove in the ends and blocked it this morning, nearly 5 years later but I'm going to wear it a lot!
I am very excited to have the sample back. It's such a pretty colour and I'm looking forward to wearing it next summer, maybe with a white linen dress and crocheted bag. I'm so glad I have a winter version to use until then!
Shells on the Beach was originally published in Simply Crochet Magazine in June 2023 and is now available from my Ravelry or Etsy stores as an individual pattern including, for the first time, a US terminology version in addition to the original UK terminology version and the pattern includes my guide to adding beads to the edging which was not included in the magazine pattern. Both include bonus guidelines for yarn/size adjustments.
Do let me know if you make Shells on the Beach I'm always excited when I see that someone has used one of my patterns!