Victoria Shawl

Victoria Shawl is a great project for any Tunisian crochet newbies who would like to learn a variety of Tunisian crochet stitches and techniques or more experienced crocheters who look for a project with repetitive stitch pattern. The shawl can be made in striking bold colours to brighten up your wardrobe or more toned-down neutral colours to compliment a variety of outfits. The sample is made in wonderfully soft Drops Baby Merino Sport weight yarn that lends the project lovely drape.

This pattern was featured in Crochet Now issue number 49. 

You can purchase the add free PDF version of the pattern at LoveCraft here.

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Skills required

Chain, Tunisian crochet technique (alternating forward and backward passes), Tunisian simple stitch (tss), Tunisian purl stitch (tps), Tunisian knit stitch (tks), Tunisian cluster stitch (tcls), changing colours as you go, end row changing colours, blocking.

Skill level

Finished measurements

 The final shawl measurements (blocked):

 165 cm wingspan x 70 cm tall (65 x 27.5 in)

Materials and tools

Drops Baby Merino (100% Wool | sport/baby | 50 g (1.8 oz) = 175 m (191 yds), North Sea (A) #47 3 balls, Lemon Punch (B) #45 3 balls)

Tunisian crochet hook size 4.5 mm (7) with cable (at least 40 cm (16 in)) or size to obtain the gauge

Tapestry needle

Scissors

Cardboard 26 cm (10.25 in) long

Gauge

Blocked Gauge: 19 sts x 17 rows = 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in)

Stitch guide

Tunisian crochet stitches are worked in forward and return pass from right to left, with the number of stitches (loops) increasing on the hook during the forward pass and decreasing during the return pass.

Return pass is worked in the same way for all stitches (rows of stitches) used in this project as follows:  1 ch, *yrh, draw through 2 loops on hook, rep from * until 1 loop on hook.

Edge stitches:

Right edge stitch- This is the first stitch and is not usually worked into because there is one loop on the hook left after completing the return pass of the previous row. However, in this patter this stitch is worked into as per instructions below. This one loop corresponds to the first stitch of the new row.

Left edge stitch- This stitch is referred to in the pattern as the End Stitch and is crocheted as follows: Rotate the end of the fabric towards yourself, insert the hook under both bars (left and right) of the last st, yrh and pul.

• First row of Tunisian crochet: Insert the hook in the back bump of second ch from hook, yrh and pul across. Standard return pass.
• Tunisian simple stitch: Insert the hook from right to left under front vertical bar of the next st, yrh and pul. Standard return pass.
• Tunisian purl stitch: Bring yarn to the front on the work and hook, insert the hook from right to left under the front vertical bar of the next st, yrh and pul. Standard return pass.
• Tunisian cluster stitch: Yrh, insert hook from right to left under front vertical bar of the next st, yrh, pul (first 2 cluster loops), yrh, insert hook from right to left under front vertical bar of the same the same st, yrh, pul (4 cluster loops), yrh, draw through all 4 cluster loops.

End row changing colours in Tunisian crochet: The new colour is added when finishing the return pass of the previous row and 2 loops are remaining on the hook. Yrh with the new colour and draw through 2 loops.

Changing colours as you go: When changing the colours within a row in Tunisian crochet, place the new strand of yarn over the old strand. This locks the old colour in place and prevent gaps occurring between the different colour sections.

Stitch charts

Notes

This shawl is crocheted (RS facing) from the left side of the wingspan to the right while increasing into the first stitch (the very first vertical bar). Every increase row starts with Tunisian simple stitch in the first vertical bar. The midpoint row of the shawl is crocheted using Tunisian cluster stitch while changing colours after each cluster. Decreases are made on return passes when 3 loops are left on the hook.

Each half of Victoria shawl has three distinct stitch pattern sections, namely Tunisian simple stitch, Tunisian honeycomb stitch (alternating Tunisian simple and purl stitches within and between rows) and Tunisian pinstripe stitch (alternating Tunisian simple and purl stitch within rows but aligned between rows).

Tunisian crochet is worked with the RS always facing.

Take care not to miss the first stitch after the increase stitch, as this tends to hide under the increase stitch.

It is useful to mark the beginning of each stitch section with a stitch marker; it makes counting rows much easier.

Ensure that you lock the strands of yarn when changing colours when crocheting Tunisian cluster stitches or there will be large gaps between the stitches that disturb the aesthetic of the fabric. This is done by placing the new strand over the other strand when starting the next cluster stitch.

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Instructions

With A, chain 2.

Row 1 FP: Working in the back bump of ch st, insert hook in 2nd ch from hook yrh and pul. 2 loops on hook

Row 1 RP and all RP in inc rows: Standard RP.

Row 2: 1 Tss in the 1^st vertical bar, 1 end st. 3 loops on hook.

Row 3: 1 Tss in the 1^st vertical bar, tss across to last st, 1 end st. 4 looks on hook.

Rows 4-50: as Row 2. 51 loops on hook.

Row 51: Starting in 1^st vertical bar, *Tss, Tps; rep from * to last st, 1 end st. 52 loops on hook.

Row 52: Starting in 1^st vertical bar, Tss, *Tps, Tss; rep from * to last st, 1 end st. 53 loops on hook.

Rows 53- 90: Rep Rows 51-52. 91 loops  

Row 91: Tss in first vertical bar, *1 Tss, 1 Tps; rep from * to last 2 sts, 1 Tss, 1 end st. 92 loops on hook.

Row 92: 1 Tss in first vertical bar, *Tps, Tss; rep from * to last st, 1 end st. 93 loops on hook.

Row 93-135: Rep rows 91 and 92 twenty-one times, then row 91 once more. 136 loops on hook.  

Row 136 (alt colour A and B after every Tcs): 1ch, miss first vertical bar,Tcs across to last st, yrh, insert the hook as for end st, pul, yrh and draw through two loops. 136 loops on hook.

Row 137 FP: 1 Tss, *1 Tps, 1 Tss; rep from * to last 2 sts, 1 Tps, 1 end st. 136 loops on hook

Row 137 RP (and all RP thereafter): 1 ch, *yrh, draw through 2 loops; rep from * to last 3 loops on hook, yrh, draw through all 3 loops on hook.

Row 138: 1 Tps, *1 Tss, 1 Tps; rep from * to last st, 1 end st. 135 loops on hook.

Rows 139- 181: Rep rows 137 and 138 twenty-one times, then Row 137 once more. 92 loops on hook.

Row 182: 1 Tss, * 1 Tps, 1 Tss; rep from * to last st, 1 end st. 91 loops on hook.

Row 183: *1 Tss, 1 Tps; rep from * to last st, 1 end st. 90 loops on hook.

Rows 184- 221: Rep Rows 182-183 nineteen times. 52 loops on hook.

Row 222: Tss across to last st, end st. 51 loops on hook.

Rows 223-269: As Row 222. 4 loops on hook.

Fasten off.

Finishing

Weave in ends and block to dimensions given.

Tassels

Make two 13 cm (5 in) long tassels (35 wraps around a piece of cardboard are recommended), one in colour A and one in colour B. Attach the tassel in colour A to left side (RS facing) and vice versa.

Abbreviations:

Ch- chain

st(s)- stitch(es)

sl st- slip stitch

ES- end stitch

tss- Tunisian simple stitch

tps- Tunisian purl stitch

tks- Tunisian knit stitch

tcls- Tunisian cluster stitch

tcs- Tunisian crossed stitch

yrh- yarn round the hook

lp(s)- loop(s)

pul- pull up a loop

RS- right side

WS- wrong side

FP- forward pass

RP- return pass

approx.- approximately

rep- repeat

t2tog- Tunisian 2 together

Further resources:

If you are just starting with Tunisian crochet, there is a wealth of great resources, such as this article on 5 things you need to know about Tunisian crochet on All Free Crochet website. And just not to miss a beat, why not to subscribe to All Free Crochet to get regular updates about all the latest patterns?

If you prefer to have all your craft inspiration in one place, FaveCrafts is definitely the place to go. Why not subscribe to their newsletter here so you would not miss a thing!

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