10 Beautiful Crochet Shawls Perfect for Hand-Dyed Yarn

It probably won’t take you all long to realize that one of my fibery soapbox topics is “CROCHETERS CAN USE FANCY YARN TOO!” I feel like hand-dyed/indie-dyed/fancy yarns tend to be limited to the knit community. No hate for the knitters out there, ya’ll have such a gorgeous selection of patterns and yarns catered to you, but often us crocheters are left thinking we can only use whats available in mass quantity in big box craft stores. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Lionbrand and Knitpicks and the amount of money I can drop in a Joann is pretty incredible! In fact, I only acrylics in my finished items inventory, just to be budget and allergy friendly, and there are so many gorgeous and super soft, high quality synthetics out there! There’s totally a time and place for them too! However, sometimes I just want to cuddle up with a gorgeous hank of something speckle-y, lovingly dyed by the hands of an artisan, and make something really special.

I love using hand-dyed yarns in my own designs in hopes of encouraging other crocheters to wander into their local yarn stores, or shop some of those fantastic indie dyers they’ve been hearting on insta, and actually start crocheting with the “fancy” stuff! All the fibers are for everyone! Shawls are one of my very favorite ways to showcase those really special skeins, so here’s a couple of my top picks for crochet shawls make with hand-dyed yarns!

1.The Flatiron Shawl by TLYarnCrafts: I think this is where my love of both artisan yarns and crochet shawls began. Toni regularly provides me with so much inspiration and this shawl is top of my list for inspo! Crocheters- YOU CAN USE FINGERING WEIGHT YARN! Don’t be afraid! The design is so simple, and so easy to follow, but it makes such a great statement piece! If you’re having trouble picking colors you should definitely be following the #flatironshawl tag on instagram. There are so many incredibly color combinations! And once you get the shaping down after a few rows, this is a really great mindless project!

2. The Bronwyn Shawl by TLyarncrafts: Another Toni masterpiece! And this one is available for FREE on her blog! And it can be made in a variety of yarn weights! So, you know what to do people! READY, SET, BRONWYN!!

3. The Dandelion Dance Shawl by Fiber & Fox: Okay. Yes. This is my design, but hey, this is my blog and the Dandelion Dance is my baabby, so it’s only fair I talk about it right? This piece was designed in response to the general lack of intricate crochet shawl patterns I was able to find (all the while oggling all the knit options!), and also out of a desire to use the star stitch (the “dandelions”) in an asymmetrical shape (which I also wasn’t able to find anywhere!).

Designed for 4 skeins of hand-dyed DK weight yarn this shawl is truly a statement piece. I’ve personally made 4, but every time I see someone tag me in a post using a new color combination I want to make another one! While it’s definitely not a “mindless” project, it does keep you interested! You never get bored because there is always a new section in a new color to explore! And there are lots of photos, and a video tutorial for the dandelion stitch section!

4. The Tidal Fades Shawl by Fiber & Fox :Yes. Also me. Last one though, I promise. Crocheters need fades too, am I right!? The pattern is currently available for worsted weight yarn (it works up so quick!), but if you stick around the blog you’ll soon be hearing about some exciting upcoming news to the tune of a new DK weight version in collaboration with one of my favorite (local to me!) dyers Laine and Lotus and a CROCHET ALONG coming in September! Stay tuned!

** you can now find the DK weight version of the Tidal Fades Shawl as a FREE crochet along here on the blog: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4!

5. The Crochet Your Fade by My Square Hat : on the topic of the desperate need for proper crocheted fades- THIS! This brilliance is Julme’s response to the “Find Your Fade” crazy that took the knit world by storm. This gorgeous 6 color fade is perfect to use up some of those one-hank-wonders in your stash or even a gradient set!

6. The Caravan of Love Shawl by Potter and Bloom : Another great stripe-y, fingering weight beauty! And bonus, the pattern comes with the knit version as well! I really want to make myself a black/white/mustard yellow version of this one! But I’ll never be cool enough to wear it with leopard booties like Emma.

7. The Hotel of Bees Shawl by A Spoonful of Yarn : THAT HONEYCOMB THOUGH! Similar to my Dandelion Dance Shawl, this one keeps you occupied and fascinated with new and exciting sections to master! It uses techniques such as overlay crochet, open crochet work and filet crochet to achieve this stunning, unique look. Although it wasn’t originally made in an indie-dyed fiber (I believe her sample is Scheepjes Stone Washed), it is one you could definitely highlight some really special skeins in!

8. The Triangle Moss Stitch Shawl by My Crochet Story: Another Andrea Mowry inspired shawl for us crocheters, this one is also available for FREE on Slywia’s blog! Although also designed with Scheepjes yarns, I think this one would be really great to make some hand-dyeds shine. Or perhaps to keep it a little more budget friendly, you could combine a more affordable color for the solid stripe sections with some really special indie dyes in the color sections!

9. The Elisabeth Triangle Scarf by Desamour Designs : while technically more of a scarf than a shawl, I wanted to mention this quick, worsted weight, corner-to-corner crochet piece for anyone who might be newer to crochet or not ready to dive into something with complex stitch techniques or working with a fine weight yarn! Corner to corner is a blanket technique a lot of crocheters are familiar with, but I love the innovative way Elisabeth converted that concept into a modern, wearable piece! And I love me a good tassel!

10. The Lady of Lorien Shawl by Alyse Crochet : while I haven’t made this design yet, it has been on my list for a while! I have some gorgeous Qing fibre in my stash that so desperately wants to turn into this leafy, lacey goodness! Major bonus points for the Lord of the Rings reference, too!

So, those are some of my favorites! Did I miss any? Pin it now and save it for later!

I would love to know some of your favorite crochet designers working with those seemingly un-crochet-able yarns that all the knitters are using! What’s your favorite crochet shawl design?