Each growing season I celebrate the joy and spirit of my husband's lush garden and how it inspires my stitching creativity.  Last year I crocheted a queen size extended throw for my begin shades of sage, taupe, bone, and variegated hues. This year I was gifted 2 large skeins of acrylic Caron Jumbo Ombre (595 yards( that ranged from the palest green to the deepest blue-green. I also knew that I would use strategic rows of Joanne's acrylic Big Twist (380 yards) in white to provide contrast. The green hues and the white rows mirror many of the leaves of the of the Hostas in our garden.  Whether I look out any window in my home, eat dinner on the raised deck, read in a shaded area under the porch, or drive in or out on our long driveway from the house, I marvel at the beauty of his evolving creation.  I just hope that my crocheting and knitting do it justice.

As with many of my extended Granny Square Blankets, I start with a concept, but the design emerges as I stitch.  The ombre yarn includes several gradient hues, and I crocheted most of the first skein into a 24 inch square without having to change yarns. At this point, I included 2 rows of white for contrast.  As the design began to evolve, I decided to crochet 5 rounds green ombre followed by two rows of white.  I planned to repeat this pattern, but I was concerned that I would be playing Yarn Chicken..  I worried that I would not be able to complete my creations I envisioned it. Luckily, my trip to Joanne's was successful, and I was able to buy a third skein of the Caron Jumbo Ombre and a second skein of the Big Twist White.  Now I had the freedom to execute my piece without any shortcuts.

There are two parts to my artistic 4 inch border that gives a snap to my throw.  First, by alternating single horizontal rows of green ombre and white, I can achieve alternating vertical rows of green and white that surround the main portion of the blanket.  The ideal number of rounds is 7, starting with the dark color, following with white and going back to dark green, etc. It is counterintuitive to think that I can achieve alternating vertical rows by crocheting alternating horizontal rows, but it works.  I finish the border with a single round of white in Half Double Crochet (HDC) followed by single row of the green ombre in HDC. The way the stitches merge is magic.

The completed throw measures 52 inches square.  It will be donated as a men's throw to my Threads of Love group for our October collection.  I enjoyed working with the ombre yarn as I can incorporate several gradient shades without having to change skeins as I did with my previous blanket.  Although I usually crochet with Red Heart Ombre, I was pleased with the colors. textures, and ease of stitching with the Caron Jumbo Ombre.  I believe that this throw measured up to the standard of my husband's garden.  I will be proud to display it until our collection date.  I can see several more ombre projects my future.

Although I provided a sequence of color design in my narrative, it may be easier for the crocheter to follow a specific pattern list of rounds and color changes.

Most of the throw is crocheted in an Extended Granny Square that uses clusters of 3 double crochet stitches (DC)
Begin with 24 rounds of ombre that measures approximately 24 inches on a side.
Crochet 2 rows rounds of white.
Crochet 5 rounds of ombre.
Crochet 2 rounds of white
Crochet 5 rounds of ombre.
Crochet 2 rounds of white.
Crochet 1 round of ombre.
Crochet 1 round of white
Crochet 1 round of ombre.
Crochet 1 round of white.
Crochet 1 round of ombre.
Crochet 1 round of white.
Crochet 1 round of Half Double Crochet (HDC) in white.
Crochet 1round of Half Double Crochet (HDC) in ombre.

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As always I appreciate your reflection and feedback.  I welcome you to join me on my stitching journey.  Although I used green ombre in my piece, there are so many possibilities open to you with different combinations of ombre yarn. If you decide to try your hand, I would love see a photo of your work.

My version of the Crocheted Dewdrop Shawl also known as the  Spring Scallop Crochet Wrap was designed by For the Frills.  It was created using 2 skeins of light worsted weight Lion Brand Mandala Ombre in the Happy and Zen color ways.  While there is some overlap in the shades of the two skeins, the Happy skein is generally in rainbow lollipop colors, while the Zen skein is cooler turquoise to darker blue green. Strands of white run through each skein so that the two skeins can easily be worked toegher. The body of the shawl was crocheted with a J (6.0mm) hook. The scallop border was crocheted with an I (5.5mm) hook. The Crochet Dew Drop Shawls is an ideal piece for spring and summer.  The colors are bright and cheerful.  The piece is substantial and drapes beautifully, but the yarns are lighter end of the worsted category. The shawl measures 68 inches wide and 26 inches deep.  For the original pattern, see:  https://forthefrills.com/spring-scallop-crochet-wrap-free-pattern.

The Dewdrop Shawl was actually my fourth attempt to integrate these yarns into one piece.  My first two attempts were a gradient boomerang knitted style. By alternating the warmer and cooler color ways, I had hoped to achieve an interesting swirl of colors as the self-striping yarns played with one another. The pattern called for #8 needles , but after knitting for about 10 inches, I found my work to be tiny and insignificant.  Even after I frogged the piece and switched to #10 needles, I was not happy.  Therefore, I switched to crocheting an asymmetrical triangle by alternating two rows of warm and dark colors as I increased on on one side to form the shawl.  The colors were networking for me.  

When I found the Dewdrop pr Scallop Crochet Wrap, I knew I could start with the Happy Yarn and complete the piece with the Zen yarn.This top down shawl has an airy style.  After the initial set up, there is generally a 4 row sequence.1} Double Crochet 2) Chain and Slip Stitch 3)Double Crochet in chain 4)Double Crochet. Increases were made in Chain 3 + 2  in first stitch and 3 DC in final stitch.  The piece was also enlarged by crocheting DC-Ch2-DC in the center. A lovely scallop on two leg sof the triangle is the finishing touch.

I adapted the creator's design in three ways.
1)I started each row with a chain 3 instead of a ch 2 so that the shawl would lay flat and the wings would not turn up.
2)I used two coordinating skeins of Lion Brand Mandala yarn instead of an ecru or other spring color..
3)I began the scallop with a skip 2 stitches instead of a skip 3 so that there would not be a gap near the edge.  I crocheted the scallop with an I (5.5mm) hook instead of a J hook.

I am thrilled to donate the Spring Scallop Wrap fo my local chapter of Threads of Love as we knit and crochet out way to 1000 pieces by December 31, 2022.I am proud that I persevered as I struggled to find just the right pattern for these delightful yarns. The piece is designed to put smile on the face of the woman receiving it.

As always I I appreciate your reflections and feedback. Have you ever kept exploring until you found just the right pattern for a particular yarn at hand?  While I usually start with a pattern and find the yarn to work with it, in this case I reversed the process and started with the yarn.  I welcome you to join me on my stitching journey.  I hope you will enjoy crocheting this delightful wrap.