Pattern Drop: The Serenity and Shiloh Shawl

by Isabella


Posted on June 5, 2020


*some of the links included in this post are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase!

I know I’m not the only one that felt the stress of the start to Spring of 2020 (here’s looking at you, ‘Rona!). During this time of staying home I have turned a lot of my attention to yarn to keep myself busy and at peace and I found so much calm in the process of creating. One of the patterns born out of this time is my latest design: The Serenity and Shiloh Shawl.

The word “serenity” means “the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled” and “shiloh” is a biblical word with meanings of “place of rest” and “peace.”

Crochet and creativity is always so calming and therapeutic for me. Working with beautiful yarns and letting my creative imagination go wild with stripe combinations helped me maintain that place of peace in a chaotic time. I hope you consider making yourself one and that this project does the same for you!

You can find the pattern for the Serenity and Shiloh Shawl in my ETSY and RAVELRY shops.

I also have a pattern drop video if you would rather watch me talking about all the goodness that is this shawl design! And as always with my pattern drop videos, if you’re viewing with in a week of the release date, there is a coupon code in there for 10% off!

Now, let’s talk details!

This spring/summer weight shawl is made with 3 color of fingering/sock weight yarn. It’s light. It’s drapey. It’s lovely. The open lace-y stitch motif allows for lots of air flow and optimal drape! (But it would totally be able to be transitioned into cooler months too!). Finished my shawl only weighs 5.6 oz- that’s NOTHING!

She’s a long and lean lady, so even if your gauge(pattern calls for a J/6.0mm hook) isn’t spot on (…not telling you not to gauge, but there is always more wiggle room on “fit” with a shawl, versus a garment! So I’ll forgive you, this time!), you are sure to end up with a wearable piece. To pattern, the finished shawl is about 89″ across top edge and 26″ from center top down to middle point. You have enough length to wrap it 2 or 3 times and it’s lovely hung over your back and shoulders as well!

This shawl is a great place to play with some indie dyed yarns! I would recommend going for a semi-solid or tonal yarn, or maybe even a speckle or two, but I would probably steer clear of anything too variegated or with long color strands. Definitely do whatever makes you happy (and swatch!) but long color repeats may end up pooling and detracting from the lacy look and make the stripes look a bit chaotic!

For my shawl I used Plymouth Yarn Co’s Nettle Grove in the color “sunrise” as my color A (orange). I had this yarn in stash and I reached for it when I realized this design was gonna need a pop of color, but unfortunately I do think this yarn got discontinued. If you’re able to find some, I adore it for its cotton/linen/nettle/silk content blend, but if not any fingering weight yarn of your choosing will do!

My color B (brown) was from a local dyer on a limited edition base of locally sourced fiber. Out of the three, this chocolately “Sabara” from Silver Key Stitches was probably my favorite color. It’s a alpaca/merino/bamboo blend and a completely natural (undyed!) color!

And my color C (beige) was another local-to-me, raised and milled in CT: Burgis Brook Alpacas “LeeLoo” – another gorgeous undyed alpaca/hemp blend. I’m not sure they have this particular blend available any longer, but do check out their stunning 100% alpaca yarns!

So that’s the yarny bit…here’s a little more you might want to know about the pattern!

I labeled it as an Advanced Beginner level pattern. You’re going to need to know how to single crochet, half double crochet, and be able to work increases and decreases as well. The triangular shawl is comprised of 2 relatively simple stitch motifs using variations of single crochet and half double crochet, worked from one end point with increases, up to a middle point, switches to decreases and ends up at the other end point. The whole pattern is just the 2 motifs playing with colors and stripes! I have to say, it does result in a lot of ends to sew in, but just look at those stripes ya’ll. SO WORTH IT.

And even though it used fingering weight yarn, it is worked with a large hook size to create the open fabric, so don’t be intimidated if you’ve never used “tiny” yarn before. You’ve totally got this!

This is the first pattern I’ve incorporated charts (along with the complete written instructions and photos) and I am very excited to have them as an expansion to my pattern writing abilities. I know charts are kind of a love them or hate them thing, but I want to put as much helpful information in my patterns as possible, cause we all learn and absorb skills differently! The pattern also includes a handy “cheat sheet”- it’s basically a condensed version of the pattern and a handy guide of all the colors, motifs, and stitch and row counts. It also included a coloring column, for you visual folk, so you can color in your color A, B and C choices to better get an idea of how your stripes will look!

If you’re not sure on what colors to choose or how they will combine, definitely check out my testers’ versions! You can always check the project page on ravelry for full details from my testers, but here’s a few photos to get you inspired!

@triple_knots_crochet @michbella17 @megsandco_yarn (a dyer, if you need more yarn to pick from!) and @florrieandme did such a great job creating unique color combinations!

I hope I’ve inspired you to add this stripey, drapey beauty to your crochet collection! Although I designed it with warmer months in mind, it truly is a piece that can be enjoyed through all seasons, regardless of where you live!

If you decide to make your own Serenity and Shiloh Shawl don’t forget to tag me on instagram – @fiber.and.fox , add your project page to Ravelry, and use the hashtag #serenityandshiloh so we can all enjoy your shawl along with you! Happy making, my friends!

crochet pattern , crochet shawl , crochet wrap , fingering weight yarn , pattern design , pattern designer , pattern drop , serenity and shiloh , shawl pattern , spring crochet , summer crochet , triangle shawl

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