Pattern Drop: Dandelion Disperse Shawl

Whuuuutt? A pattern drop from Bella in 2022? I know we didn’t think we’d see the day, but FINALLY the Dandelion Disperse Shawl is done and ready for the world. Let me help you get acquainted with my newest dandelion stitch triangle shawl crochet pattern!

You can now find the Dandelion Disperse Shawl pattern PDF in my RAVELRY and ETSY SHOPS!

If you’d like to hear me chat about this design, everything you will need to make it, and the inspiration that went into it, check out this pattern drop video for all the beautiful dandelionicious details.

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The Inspiration: Dandelions. I can’t stop. I am obsessed with this stitch (my own modified version of daisy/star stitch) and I just keep working it into more places.

& Let’s be honest, no one of any age can resist blowing fluffy dandelion seeds into the wind, right? Using my favorite dandelion stitch and playing with the texture of the mohair yarn, this shawl definitely reminds me of those fluffy seeds dancing on the wind. It’s light and airy, easy to wear, and just the right amount of playful with the color/texture/stripe combination (you know I love a good fingering weight yarn and a drool worthy crochet stitch to #makeknittersjealous. Add more hair? All the better!) I’m sure you’ll be ‘hooked’ on dispersing dandelions all over this shawl too.

For more dandelion stitch, check out my other patterns in my Dandelion stitch collection. More shawls, home decor, baby items, I’ve got you COVERED with the dandelions. And if you want some practice on how to work up this stitch, check out the photo & video tutorials here!

The Yarn: Besides my obsession with dandelion stitch, the real inspiration behind this design started in 2020 when I ordered 3 one-of-a-kind colorways from Fiber for the People Yarns and this design started stewing in my head. I knew I wanted to use all 3 yarns together, work end to end, and add some fabulous stripes, ALL in dandelion stitch. It took me a while to get it to come together just right, but I am so proud of the final results.  

Yardage-wise, you’ll want:

Two different color skeins of 100g skeins of fingering/sock/1 weight yarn & a 50g skein of silk mohair/0/ lace weight yarn.

I worked it up in 3 “lucky strike” colorways by Fiber for the People yarn and couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome! And I am proud to have finally made some dandelions that AREN’T JUST YELLOW (but I’ll never stop loving mustard, sorry not sorry.). Although you won’t be able to find the exact colors I used, in case your curious about my yarn choices, and their yardage/content:

*Color 1: Lily Pad (fingering weight) 80/10/10 SW Merino/Cashmere/Nylon, 382 yds/100 g
USED: ~375 yds
*Color 2: Pewter (fingering weight) 100% SW Merino, 328 yds/100g
USED: ~260 yds
*Color 3: Algae (mohair or lace weight) 70 Kid Mohair/30% silk, 459 yds/50g
USED: ~130 yds

While ya’ll know I love some indie dyed yarns, you definitely could sub in a more commercially available, more budget friendly yarn in more solid colors, like Loops and Threads Woolike and still get amazing results for your shawl! No yarn shame here!

You also totally don’t have to use mohair if that’s not your cup of fluffy tea. You can absolutely sub in a lace weight yarn of another fiber content OR easily do the whole thing in fingering weight yarns instead. I love the drape and translucence of the mohair/lace weight, but if your stash, wallet, fluff tolerance or patience level are guiding you otherwise there are definitely options here to play around.

& a reminder, the mohair is NOT held double anywhere (it’s shown in the dark green/3rd color in mine). It is only worked single throughout the striped section, so it won’t effect your gauge at all if you decided to just make the shawl 3 colors in fingering weight instead! Several testers went that route (see below) and it came out beautifully!

What’s Included: The Dandelion Disperse shawl is a very repetitive and easy to master/memorize crochet pattern. We’ve pegged it as Intermediate level crochet (written in standard US crochet terminology) because of the complexity of the dandelion stitch and the use of lace weight yarn, but that being said, I hold your hand all the way through and have made it REALLY EASY to master learning a new stitch. And I promise, if the size if the only thing holding you back from the mohair or lace weight, IT’S NOT HARD! The first row or two in the finer yarn might feel a little odd if you’ve never worked with it before but it’s totally manageable and you’re only working with it in very small chunks! Give it a try, you might end up mohair-addicted like I did (and I swore I hated mohair!).

The pattern itself includes not only highly detailed written instructions, but also photo AND video tutorials of how to work the main (and basically only) stitch used throughout the pattern. The increases and decreases that make up the end-to-end construction /tip-to-tip shaping are very simple and once you get a few rows in you will have everything you need to keep cruising through the whole thing.

Like I said, it’s quite easy to memorize once you get going, so you won’t have too much to keep thinking about other than color changes. But like with most of my shawl patterns, I have also included a separate row by row sheet that includes every single row and stitch count, so if you do happen to get off somewhere, you will be able to pin point exactly where and what went wrong to get back on track. I’ve done all the math for you so it’s easily sailing! And it’s all be thoroughly tested and tech edited to make it all the more pleasant on your end! There are also other helps in the pattern, like video links for wet blocking your shawl or adding a project page to Ravelry if you need just a bit more guidance!

The Testers: Now for a little tester inspiration- as always, seeing the design through other maker’s creativity is always the very best part! Let’s get you inspired for picking your own yarn combos…

I love the combination Siobhan of @yarnoverfloyd created here with a more speckled/variegated yarn paired with a rich semi-solid jewel tone. She also chose a mohair that was super similar (maybe even the same colorway, just on a different base?) to the color used in the first half. It almost has a fade like feel to it?

Novella of @vellano09 opted for the variegated first half as well, but chose two more solid yarns for the 2nd half- and that bright mohair!? So fun! Rarely do I work with blue yarns but I love the combo she created here!

Amy of @browneyedcrochetedgirl always chooses such gorgeous colors. And you know I love me some rusts and mustards. I don’t think I would have thought to use a white mohair here, but I actually adore the outcome. And white may be something a lot of people already have in stash- play around and see what combos you can get!

Jeanette of @ny1st also went with a fade-ish combo like Siobhan did, in that her color 1 and color 3 are similar and color 2 stands out. I love the soft, dainty elegance she achieved with this ballerina-esque combination.

And holy moly, this purple. Heidi of @virginiagardengal (and her daughter) are rocking this bold, contrasty color combination. Here the contrast is between color 1 and 2, but 2 and 3 are blending together beautifully. If a bold stripe section isn’t your thing, consider going this route where color 2 and color 3 (the mohair/lace) are similar. You could even do the whole shawl more subtle, if you chose to get 2 skeins of a main color (rather than a color 1 and color 2) and then made the mohair a similar shade- I think that would be STUNNING.

Nazrien of @gypsyinrhapsody opted to keep her shawl only 2 colors and not use a mohair/lace and instead stuck with fingering weight- but opted for a little sparkle instead! I love how contrasty the black and yellow are and doing a solid color with a sparkle/stellina base or maybe even a solid and a wild speckle is a fun alternative to the airy mohair look.

And lastly (but not least) Deb of @delightfuldebstar also went two color, but with a floofy choice as her contrast stripes. Another fun look to play around with! As you can see, there are ways to make any color, yarn choice and fiber type work within this design. If you want to get real wild, you could even play with gauge and do it in like DK weight or something. Honestly, I want to make a super airy one that is ALL mohair! Plenty of room to play here.

For more on any of the testers photos and for any future versions of the Dandelion Disperse Shawl, be sure to check out the projects section on Ravelry!

Still picking colors? Not ready to start a new project right now? Don’t forget to pin this pattern for later!

THANK YOU, as always, for the love and support you show my designs, and for not only purchasing (Ravelry or Etsy!), but sharing your makes with me! As you are working on it or rocking those finished objects shots, don’t forget to tag me on instagram @fiber.and.fox and use #dandeliondisperseshawl so we can all marvel at your gorgeous shawl along with you! Happy making, my friends!