My best friend lives far away so every year we open our Christmas presents over the phone a bit early. It’s been our annual tradition for the last 12 years. We opened them last week so I can finally show you what I made her. I’ve been itching to show you!
I’d planned to make a crochet shawl using the Scarborough Fair Shawl pattern. The pattern recommended a laceweight yarn (2ply) so I chose Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace. Fine, pure wool made from 100% merino. It’s as soft and dreamy as it sounds.
A few rows in I realised I’d never get the shawl finished before Christmas (panic!) so I ripped it back, chained half the amount of stitches in the foundation row and made a scarf instead. I still used the laceweight wool but doubled it up so it was quicker to work with. Not quite the lace effect I’d originally planned for but it still looked good and it would be warmer. Kim’s lucky she got this scarf, I wanted to keep it for myself!
I crocheted the scarf long enough to wrap around twice…
…or wear loose with plenty of drape.
This was a really enjoyable pattern to crochet. Simple enough not to require every ounce of my attention but interesting enough to stop it becoming repetitive and boring. Best of all, it included both written and chart instructions. I find chart patterns so much easier to follow and it’s surprising how many crochet patterns don’t include one.
I’m adding this to my ever growing knitwear wishlist. If I start working on the shawl version in the new year, I may get it finished in time for next Autumn 🙂
Project notes
- Pattern: Scarborough Fair Shawl
- Wool: Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace
- Wool colour: Sea Green (025)
- Balls: 3
- Crochet hook: 4mm
- Project duration: 2 weeks
Great solution! The scarf looks lovely, light and warm – the perfect combination.
Thanks! Hopefully it’s light enough to wear when the weather warms up a little in the Spring.
Lovely! My favorite color!!!
I like sea green too 🙂
absolutely beautiful….she must really really be a good friend to gift this one!
Thank you Steph!
What a pretty pattern. I love that color too. It looks real soft as well.
The pattern is lovely, want to try a lace weight version when I can take my time.
Beautiful! I would be tempted to keep it too. That sounds like a fun Christmas tradition.
Gorgeous! I see why you would want to keep it! 🙂
Ooh, that’s lovely. I love seeing crochet lace like this – so different and unusual. Holding the yarn doubled is incredibly effective, I love the stitch definition. That’s a pattern that’s gone straight in my favourites, especially if there are charts. There just isn’t the commercial software out there to let people make crochet patterns, not like there is for knitting, so you have to know your way around a graphics program to make them!
The best present is always the one you want for yourself 🙂 Your friend is very lucky!
Thank you Laura 🙂 I didn’t know that, I assumed there would be software to create crochet patterns. It’s was nice to watch this pattern come together as I crocheted.
A gorgeous color, and it looks beautiful with your hair.
Nice job!
Thank you Nancy!
…And that pattern’s gone straight into my favorites. It turned out so beautiful! I especially love the color of the yarn you chose. Lucky friend!
That’s what I was like when I saw this pattern…
Beautiful! Love the color too. Will save for a future project already have the yarn for it. Thanks for sharing. Question: “Did you end up using all the yarn required?”
Thanks Cristina. I bought enough wool to make the shawl as per the pattern – because I doubled the wool up and the shawl ended up being half the width, I used the same amount of wool (3 balls). Worked out rather well considering it was improvised!
Such a beautiful scarf!
Beautiful pattern, and colour too! I love it x
Lovely scarf! I’m just starting to get more comfortable with crochet, so I aspire to things like this.
Give it a try, it’s a nice pattern. It uses basic stitches: chain and double crochet. The end result looks more complicated than it is too 🙂
Wow, what a truly beautiful scarf, your friend is very lucky. I haven’t crochet in so long and I am sure I have forgotten most of the stitches but I would love to make this, might just have to re-learn … or is that teach,myself.
Thanks Cristina. I bought enough wool to make the shawl as per the pattern – because I doubled the wool up and the shawl ended up being half the width, I used the same amount of wool (3 balls). Worked out rather well considering it was improvised!
I LOVE IT!!!! THANK YOU 🙂
It’s beautiful, it looks lovely and delicate, even if the yarn is held double. Really pretty motif too 🙂