crochetguideKnow these stitches: double crochet, magic ring
Materials and yarn planning
Yarns we’ve reviewed that suit it: Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling yarn, Lion Brand Heartland yarn, Lion Brand Wool-Ease DK yarn. For the hook, choose by size and handle.
Weigh the ball as you go: the yarn remaining calculator turns the grams left into meters, so you can see whether it will last. Allow a little more for edging and tails.
Finished size and gauge
This pattern gives 30 rows as a construction plan. Row n has 6n double crochets, so Row 30 has 180. Each half grows by 3 stitches a row because a double crochet is taller than it is wide; fewer increases pull the top edge into a V. The table below gives the rows for a shawl that reaches the wrists, from your row gauge: in the right-angled triangle these increases make, each row adds about 2.8 row heights to the wingspan. Your stitches may not be quite one and a half times as tall as they are wide, so check the growth at Row 10, as the steps say, before you settle on a size.
The shape of the triangle shawl.
Sizes from your swatch
Example: 7 rows of double crochet in 10 cm. Type your own swatch over it to see your counts.
| Size | Wingspan, wrist to wrist | Rows | Stitches in the last row |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Small | 134.5 cm (53 in) | 33 | 198 |
| Small | 138.5 cm (54.5 in) | 34 | 204 |
| Medium | 143.5 cm (56.5 in) | 36 | 216 |
| Large | 148.5 cm (58.5 in) | 37 | 222 |
| X-Large | 148.5 cm (58.5 in) | 37 | 222 |
| 2X | 154 cm (60.75 in) | 38 | 228 |
| 3X | 156.5 cm (61.5 in) | 39 | 234 |
| 4X | 161.5 cm (63.5 in) | 40 | 240 |
| 5X | 161.5 cm (63.5 in) | 40 | 240 |
Counts are rounded to whole stitches and rows. Check the first rows against your swatch.
The gauge calculator compares your swatch with the pattern. A stitch name you do not know is in the abbreviation chart; a UK pattern’s names are in the US/UK term reference.
The pattern
Count rows for this patternStart the triangle
- Make a magic ring. Chain 3, counting it as one double crochet, and work 2 more double crochets into the ring. Chain 2 for the center space, then work 3 double crochets into the ring. Tighten the ring gently. Row 1 has 6 counted double crochets, 3 on each side of the center space.
- Keep a marker in the chain-2 center space so it is separate from the outer starting chain.
Increase evenly
- At the start of each new row, turn, chain 3 and double crochet in the first stitch. The chain 3 and new double crochet together make 2 stitches at that edge.
- Double crochet in each stitch up to the center. Work (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the center space. Move the center marker into the new chain-2 space.
- Double crochet in the remaining stitches until the final turning-chain top. Work 2 double crochets in that top.
- At Row 10, lay the shawl flat and measure the top edge from tip to tip, then divide by 10: that is what each row adds. The wingspan you want divided by that figure is the rows to work, whatever the table says for your gauge.
- Repeat to Row 30, or to the rows for your size. Every new row adds 6 double crochets, 3 on each side. Fasten off, weave the center and edge tails, and finish by the yarn label.
Check the work
The two sides contain equal numbers of double crochets. The first five row totals are 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30; the center remains one chain-2 space.
- If the center shifts, compare the stitch counts on either side of the marker.
- If an outer edge stops growing, check that it has 2 stitches, including the starting chain where applicable.
Updated . Increases changed to 6 a row so the top edge stays straight. Stitch counts checked row by row; we haven’t crocheted a sample of this one yet. How the patterns are checked. Keep your yarn label, hook and swatch on the printable project worksheet.