Advent Shawl

(Well, it is Advent season!)

Hello my lovely ones. How are we all on this cold wintery mornings. It’s been rather chilly hasn’t it! It is rather nice to have all the warm yarny woolies out though. We have had a bit of strange week – I picked my little lady up from her week long residential on Friday. It’s been so weirdly quiet! The house doesn’t seem to function without her at all. It seems strangely unbalanced. So nice to have her back in the house. Feels complete again. Not a fan of her being away. But I know they need to do these things to grow and spread their wings and oh boy, did they have fun.

So I just wanted to pop on & talk about Advents! I know many of you lucky ones will have had a gorgeous delivery this last week from some of our incredible yarn dyers. I hope you have all managed to grab the one you wanted. It is such an exciting time of year for the yarny world. Can’t wait to open mine. So exciting.

I have tried to behave this year and not buy too much yarn, so that I could buy the advents. They are a great way to create a really spectacular piece, as many of the dyers will create each mini skein of yarn to sit beautifully with each other. With many of them dyed in a gradient manner, allowing the colours to flow and compliment each other. As of next year, I am hoping to bring you more crocheted garments, so with this in mind, the advents are win win for me.

I feel that the advents can say a lot about a dyer and really gives them a chance to shine and show their true colours. Many of them start planing their advents in the spring!! Can you imagine! So a lot of hard work and thought has gone into these beautifully little advent parcels. Ekk. I am now getting super excited.

In the past I have been super lucky to have Orchidean Luxury Yarn Advents. They are so scrumptious and so luxurious. Such a pleasure to open each day and see what squishy yarny treats are in store for you. But this year I have also branched out for one of Lisa’s advents from For the Love of Yarn too. I am super excited to be bringing you an exclusive pattern for her advent later in the year, with all proceeds for the pattern going to Children’s Liver Disease. An incredible charity that is very close to Lisa’s heart too. I was so humbled to find that Lisa has chosen me as one of her top crochet designers for her advents, such an incredible honour. Thank you Lisa. So kind of you.

Some of you may be starting to think about what kind of projects you would like to work on with your advents, so I couldn’t resist sharing my Advent Shawl pattern with you again this year. It is one of my all time favourite advent yarn pieces and, as many of you know, I am never far away from it! Well it’s rainbow and it’s soft yarn and it’s warm, what more can I say!!

Now this year I have created the pattern in an easily downloadable file, so that you can get going with your advent project straight away.

As with all my patterns now, I would be extremely grateful for any possible donations, however small, to my Crochet for Charity Just Giving Page. At the moment, I am hoping to support Child Bereavement Charity, which has been close to our hearts for a few years now. Thank you so much in advance for any donations you are able to give.

So here are the links you need:

The Advent Shawl PDF Pattern

Just Giving Crochet For Charity Page

Crochet for Charity Just Giving Page

Keep your eyes peeled for some other advent projects that may find their way onto my website too. There’s another one that I really can’t wait to share with you. In time, I will create an Advent Category on the website, so you will be able to find the patterns easily. Don’t forget that if you aren’t able to buy the advents, then all of these patterns can be made my yarn stash diving. Just grab a big bundle of your odds and ends and get crocheting. Ooo, imagine the possibilities!! Oh dear, what am I like.

Ooo, I nearly forgot. I may have been working on a rather secret advent project with the incredible Abby from Orchidean Luxury Yarns, so keep an eye out for that too. It’s a goodun, I promise you! But Mums the word I am afraid.

Anyways, happy hooking. Keep warm and have fun with the run up to, dare I say it – CHRISTMAS! Ekk!

🌈Xx

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Anyone for an Advent Pattern?

Well chaps, I have been drooling over this year’s advent calendar from Abby at Orchidean Luxury Yarn and wondering what to create. So couldn’t resist sharing last years creation with you. I have worn this little lady, for most of this year. Yep, sun and snow, wind and rain, it seems to have been with me.

Soot the rainbow blanket on the beach..

Possibly has become my comfort blanket, but let’s not get into that! Haha.

This year’s colours are so incredible. They are rich and vibrant and I am sure will create a mega shawl for me daughter. She is so excited. I wrapped up Abby’s advent under the tree.

She couldn’t believe her eyes on Christmas Day that she will be getting a rainbow shawl. Just need to let the creating cogs get going on that one. (And finish a pair of advent socks, before hand.) Here’s the link for Abby’s next years advent. You can clink the link to notify you when it’s up for preorder.

https://luxuryyarns.co.uk/product-category/special-offers/seasonal/

I will be creating & writing up a pattern for this year’s advent soon, but until then, here is the pattern and then as a printable download too.

The pattern follows an 8 row repeat, creating a beautiful & elegant shawl. 

Now I have used Abby’s advent from last year for this one, but you can use any advent yarn that you have or even use some of your own yarn stash. It would be a great shawl to use up odds & ends with. Ooo, think of the possibilities. Exciting.

Right, here we go.

Level – Medium

Yarn – 450g of 4ply yarn. You can use any colour way that you like. I decided to create mine into a rainbow effect using my advent yarn, but you can work it up in any colour way that you like. (It even goes well in one variegated colour.)

Hook

4mm crochet hook

Notions –

Scissors, darning needle for sewing in ends.

Finished size –

Wingspan – 280cm  Centre spine depth – 120cm

It uses 13 times 8 row repeats plus border. (You can create this scarf in any size you like. Just adapt the pattern by using increasing or decreasing the number of 8 row repeats.) 

Free Printable Downloadable –

Fasten off – slip stitch into the last stitch you have worked, pull through & cut yarn.

Attach yarn – Insert hook into the stitch, new yarn over hook & pull through the stitch. 

Abbreviations – 

mr – Magic Ring 

ch – Chain 

ch2sp – Chain 2 Space 

dc – Double Crochet 

htr – Half Treble Crochet

blhtr – Back Loop Half Treble Crochet

tr – Treble Crochet

bltr –Back Loop Treble Crochet 

Pattern – 

1 – Make a mr, ch3, then work 3tr into the ring, then ch2 & work 4tr stitches into the ring. Then pull the tail tight. (I tend to make a little knot here, to keep the mr closed.)

2 – Turn your work, ch3, 2tr in the first stitch, then 1tr in each tr stitch in the row. Then work 1tr, ch2, 1tr in the ch2sp. Work 1tr in each stitch in the row, finally working 2tr in the top of the ch3 from the previous row.

3 – Turn your work, ch3, 2tr in the first stitch, then 1tr in each stitch in the row. Then work 1tr, ch2, 1tr in the ch2sp. Work 1tr in each stitch in the row. Finally work 2tr in the top of the ch3 from the previous row.

4 – 7 (4 rows) *Turn your work, ch3, 2bltr in the first stitch, then 1bltr each stitch in the row. Then work 1tr, ch2, 1tr in the ch2sp. Work 1bltr in each stitch. Finally work 2bltr in the top of the ch3 from the previous row.* Work ** four times.

8 – Turn your work, ch3, 2tr in the first stitch, then 1tr in each stitch in the row. Then work 1tr, ch2, 1tr in the ch2sp. Now work 1tr in each stitch in the row. Finally work 2tr in the top of the ch3 from the previous row.

9 – Turn your work, ch3, work 2tr in the first stitch. *Now ch1, miss 1 stitch & work 1tr in the next stitch.* Work ** across the row. Then work 1tr, ch2, 1tr in the ch2sp. Now work 1tr in the first stitch. *Now ch1, miss 1 stitch & work 1tr in the next stitch.* Work ** across the row. Work 2tr in the top of the ch3 from the previous row.  

10 – Turn your work & ch3.  Now work 2tr in the first stitch, then 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Work 1tr in the first ch1sp. *Now work 1tr in the next stitch & in the next ch1sp.* Work ** across the row. Finish the row with 1tr in the last 2 stitches. Work 1tr, ch2, 1tr in the ch2sp. Then work 1tr in the first stitch in the row. *Now work 1tr in the next stitch, then 1tr in the next ch1sp.* Work ** across the row. Finish the row by working 1tr in the last 2 stitches, then 2tr in the top of ch3 from the previous row. 

Now it’s time to repeat the last 8 rows. So repeat rows 3 – 10, 12 more times.

Border – 

1 – 2 (2 rows) *Turn your work, ch3, 2tr in the first stitch, then 1tr in each stitch. Then in the ch2sp work 1tr, ch2, 1tr. Now work 1tr in each stitch in the row. Finally work 2tr in the top of the chain 3 from the previous row.* Work ** twice. 

3 – Now turn your work, ch1, 2dc in the first stitch, then 1dc in each stitch. Work 1dc, ch2, 1dc in the ch2sp. Now work 1dc in each stitch in the row. Finally work 2dc in the top of the chain 3 from the previous row.

4 – This is your final row. Turn your work, ch2 & work 2blhtr in the first stitch, then work 1blhtr in each stitch in the row. Work 1htr, ch2, 1htr in the ch2sp. Now work 1blhtr into each stitch in the row, finally working 2blhtr in the top of the chain 1 from the previous row.

Finishing off –

Now it’s time to sew in your ends using a darning needle & block your finished shawl. I tend to use sponge floor tiles and long headed/T pins for this. 

I really hope you have enjoyed this pattern. My Advent Shawl comes everywhere with me. It has been used as a shawl, scarf, a blanket to keep little ones warm & even in a rescue mission with a dog lead once! Don’t ask!! Haha, you can safely say that I love it & will be treasured forever. 

Care – When washing, ensure you follow the instructions on the label of the yarn you are using & be as gentle as you can. Once gently washed, I will always reshape mine back into place. 

Don’t forget to share any pics with us of your fabulous shawl on the good old fashioned net. Tag us in on Instagram, Facebook, You Tube & Twitter @pipsrainbow & #pipsrainbow.    

Happy hooking. Xx 

(Please note this pattern has been test crocheted, but not tech edited. But every attempt has been made for it to be easy to follow and free from mistake. It is for personal use only. Any questions, happy to help.)

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