The Evolution of a Design

Sometimes it is good to just do something new and different.  I have been focusing on my new knitted Double Garter Stripes technique a lot over the past couple of years, and I recently had a yen to make a crocheted shawl.  I wanted to do something special, but I wasn't quite sure what.  I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  In a search on Crocheted Shawls, I happened upon a design called the Virus Shawl (quite a name, eh?) that apparently has been going viral (hence the name??) in crochet circles.  What attracted me to the shawl was its graceful shells and the rich interplay of colors I saw in some of the made-up shawls.  I began to dream about a shawl with rich Renaissance or Baroque colors, crisp texture, and flowing pattern.

I decided that a yarn with a slight sheen and long, flowing color segments would work best for this design, something like Lion Brand Landscapes or Red Heart Unforgettable that would have longer color sections but still allow a dramatic color change from one row to the next.

I began to play with some worsted weight yarn from my stash, exploring ideas for working the pattern of the shawl.  I was fairly pleased with the initial results, so I purchased 6 balls of Lion Brand Landscapes in the Rain Forest colorway, and began work on the actual shawl.  As I worked, the pattern began to solidify a bit, and to morph slightly.  My original intent had been to make a roughly crescent-shaped shawl with lacy shells, openwork with tall treble stitches, and picots for richness and texture.  But as I crocheted, I decided to focus more on the shells and picots, and move away from the treble lace.  This allowed the colors to interact more vividly together.  The overall effect caused the outer edge of the shawl to be a little bit ruffled.  I haven't decided if I like the ruffled effect or not...I like the idea of the fullness at the outer edges of the shawl, but I am not quite sure I like the way the finished shawl drapes.  I may need to try it in a thinner, more drapey yarn such as Red Heart Unforgettable.

I ended up buying one more ball of the Landscapes to complete the edging on the shawl.

Here is the finished shawl.  What do you think?

Here are a couple of photos that show the rich texture, color, and pattern of the shawl.

Yes, that is a red ribbon from the county fair.  I was a bit disappointed that it didn't win a blue!  But as I was photographing it, I noticed a 3/4" yarn tail sticking out on the wrong side of the shawl that I had neglected to clip during the finishing process.  Oh, well...you can't win them all.

I haven't completely solidified the design for this shawl yet.  I need to play with it more, to work out the kinks in the pattern and to make the design more cohesive.  But I am very pleased with the initial result.  I need to get more colorful, shiny yarn!