Trendy But Timeless: Striped Crochet Shawl Free Pattern

I am bi-crafty. When I learned to both knit and crochet, I immediately realized that one craft isn’t “better” than the other. Therefore, I love the challenging of making designs that work easily for both crocheters and knitters. This striped crochet shawl free pattern is exactly that type of design.

The History of the Striped Crochet Shawl Pattern

It was 2014. The editor of Love of Crochet asked me to design a crochet shawl for their Winter issue. However, this wasn’t just to be any old shawl of my choosing. They had specific features that they wanted to include.

First of all, they wanted a striped crochet shawl pattern. Stripes are terrific because they give you the opportunity to play with color. They are easily worn; despite the myth that horizontal stripes add weight, anyone can wear both horizontal and vertical stripes!) Plus, stripes are fun to crochet, because you get the meditative aspect of working on a repeating stitch pattern but that’s broken up with the color changes.

Second, they wanted a crochet shawl that could easily be worked in a knit version. I LOVE THIS. I have designed quite a few patterns that are available as either knit or crochet patterns. This is great for bi-crafty people who want to work one or both. It’s great for crafters who only know one of the two crafts. And it’s perfect for craft groups that include both knitters and crocheters so everyone can work on the same project.

Thus, the Stellar Stripes Shawl pattern was born. In this post, I’ll tell you all about the crochet version. But there’s also a knit version.

A Trendy, but Timeless, Design

The other criteria that the editor asked for was “trendiness.” They wanted to make sure that the crochet shawl I designed at the time would be right on trend. This was back in 2014. The stripes and the shape of the shawl were right on trend.

But, six years later, it’s turned out that this is also a timeless design. This striped crochet shawl free pattern truly works year in and year out. It’s a versatile design that you can easily layer over a lot of different types of outfits. You can dress it up or dress it down. It’s easy to wear, but it has a little touch of class of luxury to it thanks to a smart yarn choice.

Let’s Talk About Yak Yarn

When I originally designed this pattern, I used one of my very favorite luxurious fibers: Bijou Basin Ranch’s sport yarn. This is a 100% yak yarn.

However, there are also other brands of yak yarn out there. Yak yarn is, admittedly, a bit more expensive than your basic yarn. But it’s really special, which means that when you use it for this striped crochet shawl free pattern, you’re really making a special garment.

Some of the amazing things about yak yarn include:

• It is super soft. It feels like you’re crocheting with (and then wearing) cashmere.
• But it’s way more sustainable that cashmere. There are a lot of problems with cashmere goat yarn that simply don’t exist with yak yarn.
• Yak yarn is extra warm. If you want to wear your crochet shawl all throughout the winter, you’re going to be able to. It’s so cozy and warm.
• And yet it’s also really breathable. You get the warmth of wool (or even warmer) and yet there’s a fresh air quality to wearing yak yarn accessories and garments.
• It’s surprisingly durable. Usually when you buy a luxurious yarn, you end up having to be so careful with it. But yak yarn is actually really durable. So if you’ve never tried yak yarn before, this striped crochet shawl free pattern gives you the perfect opportunity to try it.

Let’s Talk About Stripes

We’ve already dismissed the idea that certain people can’t wear stripes. That’s ridiculous. Stripes can look great on all body types. In particular, an accessory like a shawl gives you a great stepping stone for trying on stripes if you aren’t used to wearing them.

In this striped crochet shawl free pattern, I’ve opted to use just two colors, alternating every two rows. The benefits of this include:

• You get to play with color without needing many, many skeins of yarn. You’ll probably only need two skeins – one in each color – of sport weight yarn for this crochet project.
• It’s fun to pick and choose colors. Sports teams and schools often have two “spirit” colors so you can go with those for your favorite team or school. Or go with red and green for Christmas or blue and white for Hanukkah, and so forth.
• Since you’re alternating after two rows, you get the benefits of a meditative crochet stitch repeat but also the “shake it up” feeling of changing colors periodically.

5 More Reasons to Love This Striped Crochet Shawl Free Pattern

If you are on the fence, here are five more factors to consider:

1. This crochet pattern uses very simple stitches. If you can single crochet and half double crochet then you are well on your way to crafting this crochet shawl.
2. It has a unique shape that’s fun to crochet and flattering to wear. Despite using simple stitches, this pattern is fun for more advanced crocheters, too, because of the way the shaping develops. It’s a half circle shawl, with edges that are longer than the body.
3. The edging is special. First you’ll hold both colors together to work a single crochet edging. Then you’ll use a single color to top it off with crab stitch. It’s easy, but unique and interesting.
4. This accessory works up surprisingly quickly. Even though it’s made in sport yarn, you’ll find that you can craft this shawl fairly fast. It’s a great instant gratification project that really packs a punch.
5. It’s a free crochet pattern. Although originally designed for that Winter 2014 issue of Love of Crochet, it’s now available for free here on the website. Why not give it a try?!

Get the Striped Crochet Shawl Free Pattern

Ready to try it? Click the image below to get the crochet pattern:

Do You Knit? Here’s the Knit Version:

You Might Also Like:

Here are some other free crochet shawl patterns that you might enjoy crafting:

• Super Simple Shawl Free Crochet Pattern
• Lacy Crochet Shawl Free Pattern
• One Ball Crochet Shawl Free Pattern
• Favorite One Skein Crochet Shawl
• Lacy Pineapple Stitch Crochet Shawl

If you both knit and crochet, which version of the shawl will you make? Share why in the comments! We love hearing from our bi-crafty friends.