Soft as Butter

Soft as Butter Crochet Shawl by Sarah Jane Designs

What Is Being Made

Soft as Butter is an intermediate-level crochet shawl pattern designed by Sarah Jane Designs. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a finished shawl measuring 40 inches wide by 68 inches long after blocking, making it a generous wrap suitable for layering and everyday wear.

Yarn Requirements

This shawl pattern requires 1600 yards of 4ply or lace weight yarn. The designer's sample was created using Colourmart extra fine merino laceweight held 3 strands together, which is equivalent to 4ply weight yarn. The pattern is versatile and can be adapted to work with any lace, fingering, or 4ply weight yarn, though adjustments to hook size and yarn amounts will be necessary depending on your chosen yarn weight. The finished size will vary accordingly based on yarn weight selection.

Crochet Hooks and Tools

You will need a 4.25/4.5mm (US G/7, UK 7) crochet hook for this project. Additional supplies include a yarn needle for weaving in ends and removable stitch markers or waste yarn for marking stitches throughout the pattern—at least 18 markers are recommended.

Stitches Used

This intermediate crochet shawl incorporates a variety of fundamental and decorative stitches to create its design:

• Chain stitch – the foundation stitch for crochet work
• Single crochet – a short, tight stitch used for structure and shaping
• Half double crochet – a medium-height stitch providing balance between drape and structure
• Double crochet – a taller stitch that creates lighter, more open fabric
• Treble crochet – an even taller stitch for increased drape and lacy effects
• Slip stitch – used for joining rounds and moving yarn across stitches without adding height
• Puff stitch – a textured, decorative stitch that adds dimension
• Picot – a small decorative loop used for edging and embellishment

Stitch Gauge and Measurements

The pattern specifies a stitch gauge of 17 stitches to 4 inches in pattern. The first 10 rows of the body should measure 4 inches. All measurements provided are taken after blocking, which is an important finishing step for lace and shawl projects to even out stitches and achieve the intended dimensions.

Design Features

The shawl incorporates leaf motifs as a key design element. These leaf-shaped motifs are created through specific stitch combinations and add visual interest and texture to the finished piece. The use of picots and puff stitches further enhances the decorative quality of this intermediate project.

Pattern Format and Availability

This is a downloadable PDF pattern written in US crochet terms. The pattern is provided by independent designer Sarah Jane Designs and is suitable for crocheters with intermediate-level skills who are comfortable working with multiple stitch types and following shawl construction techniques.