Crochet Shawl in Caron Simply Soft Collection - Downloadable PDF

Crochet Shawl in Caron Simply Soft — Pattern Summary

About This Design

This stunning shawl pattern, designed by Diane Moyer, is a free downloadable PDF that combines two distinct crafts in a single project: knitting forms the main triangular body of the shawl, while crochet lace creates a decorative edging that adds both length and elegance. The result is a finished shawl measuring approximately 50 inches wide by 22½ inches long at the center back, not including the crocheted lace border. With blocking, the lace edging adds roughly 3½ inches to the center point length, making this a truly impressive finished piece. Rated as intermediate in difficulty, this pattern is ideal for crafters who are comfortable with basic knitting and crochet techniques and are ready to explore a project that bridges both crafts.

What Is Being Made

The finished object is a large, triangular shawl suitable for wearing as a wrap, a shoulder covering, or a decorative accessory. Its generous dimensions make it versatile for both casual and dressier occasions. The triangular shaping is achieved through strategic increases and decreases worked throughout the knitted body, and the crocheted lace border provides a delicate, open-work finish along the lower edge.

Materials Used

The pattern calls for Caron Simply Soft yarn in the colorway Pagoda (0014), used as the Main Color (MC). Simply Soft is a worsted weight yarn, with each skein containing 288 meters (315 yards) and weighing 170 grams (6 oz). The pattern requires 2 skeins of this colorway. Caron Simply Soft is well known for its smooth, soft texture and excellent stitch definition, making it a popular choice for both knitted and crocheted garments and accessories.

Two types of tools are required for this project:

• One pair of US 9 (5.5mm) knitting needles for the garter stitch shawl body
• One US J-10 (6mm) crochet hook for the lace edging
• A stitch marker and a yarn needle are also needed for finishing

Techniques Used

This pattern is a wonderful example of a mixed-craft construction, requiring the maker to work comfortably in both knitting and crochet. The shawl body is knitted entirely in garter stitch, which is created by knitting every row on both the right side and wrong side. Garter stitch produces a squishy, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges, making it ideal for shawls that need to drape well and lie flat without curling at the edges.

The triangular shape of the body is built through a series of carefully placed yarn overs (yo) for increases and k2tog (knit two together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) decreases. The shawl begins with just 4 stitches cast onto the needles and grows steadily to a maximum of 74 stitches before the shaping reverses and the stitch count decreases back down to a final bind-off. This increase-then-decrease construction is a classic method for creating symmetrical triangular shawls.

Once the knitted body is complete, the crocheted lace edging is worked directly onto the shawl using a US J-10 (6mm) crochet hook. The lace pattern is worked in repeating units, with each pattern repeat measuring approximately 6½ inches wide and 6 rows deep to the center point, adding approximately 3½ inches of decorative length at the center back.

Stitches Used

The following stitches and techniques are used throughout this pattern:

• K (knit) — the foundational knitting stitch, used throughout the garter stitch body
• Yo (yarn over) — used to create decorative eyelets and to increase the stitch count during shaping
• K2tog (knit 2 together) — a right-leaning decrease used to shape the shawl and create decorative detail
• Ssk (slip, slip, knit) — a left-leaning decrease that mirrors k2tog, worked by slipping two stitches knitwise one at a time, returning them to the left needle,