By Cheri McEwen
Models: Carol and Daryan McEwen
Photos: Cheri McEwen
Difficulty: Intermediate
I love to design things that look more difficult than they actually are. I want something that is easy to do, but gives me more “bang for my buck,” so to speak. I don’t have many hours in the day to accomplish this endeavor, so I try to make the most of it.
Take It or Leaf It is a simple layering piece that can be thrown over the shoulders for a crisp evening or scrunched up around the neck for a touch of color close to the face. It features a more than half circle shape with an open mesh body and an interesting leafy border. The shawl can be made with a touch of picots for a more feminine flair, or the picots can be left off for a flatter edging.
Finished Size: 46†X 27â€
Materials:
- Paton’s Lace [80% acrylic, 10% wool, 10% mohair]; 498yd/455m per 85g skein; color: Bonfire; 1 skein
- [CC] Cascade, Bollicine/Etoile [70% mohair, 30% acrylic; 164yd/150m per 50g skein]; color: #599; 1 skein
- A total of 520 yard of any light fingering yarn may be substituted.
- G/6 (4.00mm) hook
- Tapestry needle
- T-pins for blocking
Gauge: 20 sts/8 rows = 4″/10cm in double crochet
Notes: Pattern is worked in rows. Turn at the end of each row.
Special Stitches
V-st: (Dc, ch2, dc) in indicated stitch
Centered decrease over three stitches: Work like a double decrease, but skip the center stitch. Yo, insert hook into next stitch, pull yarn through stitch, yo and pull yarn through two loops, yo, skip the next stitch, insert hook and pull yarn through stitch, yo and pull through two loops, yo and pull yarn through all three loops on hook. This will decrease the stitch count and make a small centered triangle.
Crochet 3 together: *Yo, insert hook in next stitch, pull yarn through stitch, yo, pull yarn through two loops on hook * Repeat * to * twice more, then yo and pull the yarn through all loops on hook.
Picot: Ch 3, insert hook into third chain from hook; yo, and draw the yarn through the stitch and the loop on the hook.
Directions:
SHAWL
Foundation: Ch 4. Working in fourth ch from hook [dc, ch2] 4 times, then dc 2.
Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as one dc throughout); dc in next st. [Ch 2, dc in ch 2 sp, ch 2, dc in next st] 4 times. Dc in last st.
Row 2: Ch 3; dc in next st. *[Ch 2, dc in ch 2 sp] 2 times. Ch 2, dc in next st. Repeat from * across, ending row with dc in last st.
Row 3: Ch 3, dc in next st. *[Ch 2, dc in ch 2 sp] 3 times. Ch 2, dc in next st. Repeat from * across, ending with dc in last st.
Continue working in established pattern, increasing one more [ch2, dc in ch2 space] on each side of the dc in st (3 of these total). Every row begins and ends with 2 dc. Stop the mesh pattern when the total number of DC’s reaches 95 (4 edge sts, 91 body sts)
Leafy Edging
Row 1: Ch 3, dc in next st, ch 2, dc in next st. *Ch 2, skip one st and work (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in next st. Ch 2, skip one dc , dc in next st.*Â Repeat from * to * until the middle stitch. Instead of skipping the middle stitch, work the (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) ch 2, dc in next stitch. Then work * to * until the last dc before the edging. Ch 2, dc in last two stitches.
Row 2: Ch 3, [dc in next st, ch2] 2 times. *Make 2 dc in next st, ch 1, dc in next st. Ch 1, make 2 dc in next st, ch 2, dc in next st, ch 2,* Repeat * to * across row, ending with dc in the last two sts.
Row 3: Ch 3, [dc in next st, ch 2] 2 times. *Make 2 dc in next st, dc in next st. [Ch1, dc in next st] 2 times. Make 2 dc in next st, ch 2, dc in next st, ch 2.* Repeat * to * across row ending with dc in the last two sts.
Row 4: Ch 3, [dc in next st, ch 2] 2 times. *Make 2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts. [Ch1, dc in next st] 2 times. Dc in next st, make 2 dc in next st. Ch 2, dc in next st, ch 2.* Repeat * to * across row ending with dc in the last two sts.
Row 5: Ch 3, [dc in next st, ch 2] 2 times. *Make 2 dc in next st, work 9 dc across the center of the leaf (including 1 dc per ch1 space). Make 2 dc in next st, ch 2, dc in next st, ch 2* Repeat from * to * ending with a dc in last stitch.
Row 6: Ch 3, dc in next st. Ch 2, V-st in next st, ch 2. *Dc in next 5 sts, centered decrease over next three sts, dc in next 5 sts. Ch 2, V-st in next st, ch 2* Repeat * to * across until 2 sts remain. Dc in each of the last two sts.
Row 7: Ch 3, dc in next dc, ch2. Work 5 dc into ch 2 sp of V-st, ch 2. *Dc in next 4 sts, centered decrease over next three sts, dc in next 4 sts. Ch 2, work 5 dc into ch 2 space of V-st, ch 2.* Repeat *to* until two sts remain, dc in last 2 sts.
Row 8: Ch 3, dc in next st, ch2. Work 2 dc into each of the next 5 stitches, ch2. *Dc in next 3 sts, centered decrease over next three sts, dc in next 3 sts. Ch 2, work 2 dc into each of the next 5 sts, ch 2.* Repeat * to * until two sts remain, dc in last two sts.
Row 9: Ch 3, dc in next st, ch 2. (Dc, ch 1) into each of the next 9 sts; dc in the next st, ch 2. *Dc in next 2 sts, centered decrease over next three sts, dc in next 2 sts. Ch 2; (dc, ch 1) into each of the next 9 sts, dc in the next st, ch 2. * Repeat * to * until two sts remain, dc in last two sts.
Row 10: Ch 3, dc in next st, ch2. (Dc, ch 2) into each of the next 9 sts; dc in the next st, ch 2. *Dc in next st, centered decrease over next three sts, dc in next st, ch2. (Dc,ch 2) into each of the next 9 sts, dc in the next st, ch 2. * Repeat * to * until two sts remain, dc in last two sts.
Row 11: Ch 3, dc in next st, picot. *(Dc, picot) into each of the next 9 sts, dc in next stitch. Picot, crochet 3 tog, picot.* Repeat * to * until l2 sts remain, dc in last 2 sts.
If you don’t want picots, just work ch 3 between the the shell sts, and ch 2 before and after the leaf tip.
Finishing: Soak the item in cool water and then block using T-pins to spread the shawl into a pleasing shape. Weave in ends using the tapestry needle.
About the Designer
I am a wife and the mother to a toddler. I have been designing knit and crochet items since 2010 as a way to keep my sanity intact. I was nominated for the Crochet Liberation Front’s Flamies for both best new designer and best adult accessory (2010). I’m working on new designs all the time and have just started the submission process with several publications. My first submission to a publisher will be released later this year.
Pattern & images © Cheri McEwen. All rights reserved.
I love the colors and style. Just lovely. Thank you for the pattern and best wishes in your endeavors, Cheri.
I was just looking at a mesh shawl at an LYS today and thinking I wanted something similar. And here it is, but better than the one I saw! Woohoo! And congrats on the first issue – it looks great!
This shawl rocks! Another winner from you!
This is JUST WHAT I was looking for. My best childhood friend is facing a surgery, the result of which, will leave her feeling cold most of the time. So I wanted something special for her. This will be a “long distance hug” for her, from me. Thanks for sharing this pattern. D
As an 81 yearold and on Social Security I really appreciate this. I have lots of time for knitting and crocheting but buying patterns is not in the budget, I have friends at my church that keep ne supplied with yarn. I use it to make articles for various charities and am always looking for new ideas. Thanks again
Check in your area for a Newborns In Need chapter. We are always looking for talented people to make baby things. 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! So proud of you. Your designs are always beautiful and so timeless.
Will be adding this to the long list of your designs to be made.
((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))
Keep those beauties coming.
Gorgeous pattern! Great to see you published in the very first issue of Crochetvolution!!!
What a gorgeous pattern! I have a hard time finding crochet shawl patterns I like (most of them are too chunky), but yours looks like the perfect weight, and the colors are glorious. Thanks so much for your generosity in sharing it, and keep up your wonderful work!
Love this pattern and your choice of colors. Thank you, Debbie
A friend of mine just sent me the link to your site. I love shawls and, thanks to you I have a new one to make. I very much like the looks of this one and will be making it for this winter.
Thank you so much. Keep up the good job.
Janet
This is gorgeous! WOW I love it…Your a very talented designer!
I just finished doing this in Patons lace “vintage” -a solid off white. The leaf pattern really pops. It’s as light as a feather, and the yarn was very easy to work with. Only took me 2 days from beginning to blocking. Thank you for the lovely pattern!
Hello I am having troubling on the first step on the leaf pattern could anyone clarify what the middle stitch is? and i do have all 95 stitches if anyone is willing to help me on the first step I would be more than thankful(:
Hi,
Your pattern doesnt say what the number of starting chain is. I would really like to make this. I will be waiting for your response. Thank you!!
tammy
Hi, Tammy. The foundation row is right before Row 1 in the directions. Hope this helps!
Haven’t yet blocked it, but I just finished making this with Patons Lace Woodrose. I’d been looking for a reason to try out Patons Lace for awhile, and it was lovely to work with in this beautiful pattern.
For me, counting the rows of the mesh pattern was easier when I thought of it as going up to 22 dc in the spaces between the dcs in st, rather than counting up all the dc in the row to get 95. That means you can divide up the last row’s dc as: 2-22-1-22-1-22-1-22-2
Also, in Row 1 of the Leafy Edging, I think there’s a ch 2 missing in the instructions to keep it symmetrical. Because of where the repeating part leaves off, it should be “Instead of skipping the middle stitch, ch 2, work the (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) ch 2, dc in next stitch.”
Hi, I have just found your pattern and love the look of it.
But I have a question, in the picture I see that there is another set of stitches that has the middle stitch 3 stitches, giving the shawl more volume and three points at which the pattern has the middle three stitches (dc in sp, ch 2, dc in stitch, ch 2 dc in sp).
How was the pattern modified to do the shawl that is pictured with the pattern?
Thank you ! I´tru this. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your pattern ..It will be worth the trip to the library to get a copy ..
Hola ! te cuento que me gusta mucho tu trabajo pero debido a que le traduccion no meresulta clara te pido porfavor si la podrias acompañar deun paso a paso tanto en fotos como en graficos.
Desde ya mucha gracias! es muy lindo !!!
Thank you for sharing this pattern.
I’m an avid knitter and I’m not very good at crocheting, but I’ m translating your pattern into Italian for a friend of mine whom love crocheting more than knitting and cannot read English.
I’m finding some difficult in translating the phrase “Weave in ends…”, I really cannot understand the meaning. Can you help me?
Thank you very much.
Flavia from Italy.
Ciao, Flavia! “Weave in ends” might translate to ‘hide your ends’ or ‘tuck in your ends.’ The ‘ends’ are the pieces of yarn that stick out from beginning and ending. I hope this helps!
Thank you very much!
Now I understand the meaning and I can complete the translation for my friend. She really look forward to crochet this beautiful shawl!!!
But….do you speak Italian????
Ciao from Italy and from the Confraternita del Diritto e Rovescio!
Flavia