Crocheted Ombre Shawl

,I left home 9 days ago with enough bags of yarn to last me my entire vacation.  I did not want to run out  like I did on our previous trip, necessitating an emergency trip to Michaels, the nearest craft store to my hotel.  With three major projects in hand, I was content that I would keep my hands busy until I returned home to my extensive stash. As with any of my road trip projects, the design had to fulfill several important criteria:  engaging design, clear directions with repeats that were easily mastered without continued reference to the printed pattern, few or no yarn changes.  Here was a situation where pattern and yarn intersected--well mostly.  I had two large skeins of Red Heart Super Saver Ombre in Scuba that I had bought on sale and which were taking space in my bins.  I liked the light to darker turquoise shades, and the yardage
(482 yards per skein) would allow me to take on an extensive piece.

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In my scrolling through Pinterest I found the Wave Shawl Pattern by Rachel from Desert Blossom Crafts.  (http://desertblossomcrafts.com/2018/05/07/wave-shawl) The mesh and shell design was striking and different from the other patterns I had crocheted without being too complex.  However, Rachel's beautiful pattern called for a fingering weight yarn with color bands from blue through to purple.  It was #2 in a superwash merino wool(460 yards), while my yarn was a worsted weight.  Instead of a lightweight spring shawl, I would end up with a much heavier garment for autumn.  While the original pattern called for an F hook (3.75mm), I had to move up to a J hook to get the open mesh in the outer part of the design.  The piece was worked from the bottom tip up in one large triangular piece. Although I started with a V-stitch,  to produce the open mesh, after several inches, I began to incorporate the shell stitch.  The denser shell produced a v shaped segment in the middle of the shawl that was surrounded by the mesh.  The visual effect was stunning.  By the time we had reached our destination in Chautauqua, New York (7 hours), I had added the second skein and was at least half way done.  There was a lot of down time on this vacation with extensive porch sitting and lectures.  I was able to add enough inches to my shawl to get a pleasing drape.  My finished piece measured 32 inches deep with a wingspan of 76 inches. I was thrilled that I had made the translation to the heavier worsted yarn. The piece truly conveyed the the "wave" feeling.

As I played with many ways for wearing, tying, and draping my shawl, I knew that I needed a shawl pin if I hoped to create some more sophisticated designs.  I was delighted to find a hand tooled wooden piece at a craft fair that was in Chautauqua for the week-end. The pin was a lovely reminder of my week at this wonderful cultural enclave.

When I started the Wave Shawl, I was not sure whether I would keep the piece or give it away.  When I was done I was sure that it would be the perfect accent to my fall wardrobe.  A simple black sweater and skirt would be dressed up with this amazing geometric fashion statement.