The X Marks shawl

This shawl is great for beginners. It includes all of the major stitches, and works up very fast. It has a bit of lace as well as the warmth of the smaller stitches.

Abbreviations: (US stitches)
Sc = single crochet, hdc = half double crochet, dc = double crochet, trc = treble crochet, dtrc = double treble crochet.

Treble crochet: Wrap yarn around hook twice. Insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through loop three times.
Double Treble crochet: Wrap yarn around hook twice. Insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through loop four times.

For worsted weight yarn, and an even weave, I would use an I or J hook.

Using a J hook and worsted weight yarn,
Ch 51. (Or some number divisible by 3.)

Rows 1 and 2: sc in each stitch across. 50 stitches.
Rows 3 and 4: Ch2. Hdc in each stitch across.
Rows 5 and 6: Ch 3. Dc in each stitch across.
Row 7: Ch4. Trc in each stitch across.
Row 8: Ch 5. Dtrc in 3rd stitch, skipping the 1st and 2nd stitches. Ch 1. Dtrc in 1st stitch. *Skip two stitches. Dtrc in next stitch. Ch 1,  then go back and dtrc in the first skipped stitch of this repeat.*  Repeat the sequence within the *'s till the end of the row.

Repeat these 8 rows until desired length.

Finishing:
Make a hdc border around the entire shawl.  To evenly distribute the stitches on the sides of the shawl, follow this rule of thumb: every two sc = 1 hdc. One hdc = 1 hdc. One dc = 2 hdc, One trc = 3 hdc, one dtrc = 3 or 4 hdc. Or, use your best judgement.


-MNR