Hi friends! I don’t often design patterns and sit on them for months before their release, but this time I did, and it is finally time to share it with the world!
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The Party Pop Shawl has arrived, and I really hop you love making it as much as I loved designing it! I was working this one up in March, and had intended to never even mention its existence until this month because August is known in the crochet community as International Granny Stitch Month. But my friend Sati from Rows and Roses was prepping for LYS day in April and sourcing some new patterns that she could offer to her customers. I had but one border row left on my shawl and offered my pattern to her, knowing that it would be a special “limited time” exclusive for her customers on that one day and then not seen again until I officially released it this month. It was very well-received by the few customers who were able to grab a limited time crochet kit complete with the yarn and pattern, and to be completely honest- it has been very hard to keep this pattern a secret for the past 4 months!
I did, however neglect to take photos of my shawl until last weekend. I had put my Party Pop Shawl away in my closet after I finished it in March, and hadn’t seen it again until I went to get it ready for its photoshoot.
While I didn’t love waiting for so long to release this pattern, one thing I did enjoy was the surprise of taking it out after months and looking at my design with fresh eyes. I don’t want to sound as though I am tooting my own horn, but the shawl is truly gorgeous and I stared at it in awe for a few minutes thinking, “Wow! This is really pretty and I designed this!”
I should really pull all of my design samples out and look at them one day to see if I feel like that about all of my designs or if this one is just really special!
I really enjoyed designing this shawl. I incorporated the Granny Stitch with rows of long stitches and post stitches to make a lightweight but cosy wrap that can be enjoyed year-round.
For my design sample, I used Lion Brand Mandala Baby in the Echo Caves colorway. Sati worked up her Party Pop Shawl using Bamboo Pop in the Happy Birdie colorway. They look so different but both so beautiful, which means that any yarn you choose is going to work up fabulously for this design!
The hardest part of designing for me is naming my patterns. I sent the rough draft of this pattern to Sati with the name “Shawl for LYS Day. Name suggestions are appreciated”. She decided to use Bamboo Pop yarn to work up her sample and kits, and as she was working it up, she sent me a message saying, “The colorway I am using makes me feel like this is a party. What do you think of Party Pop?”
Sold. Many of my pattern names are alliteration, so this was the perfect name for this shawl!
If you have never tried post stitches, I highly recommend them. I absolutely love the little bit of texture they add and how easy they are to master! And don’t worry- I have stitch tutorial videos on my Rumble channel to help you if you get stuck!
You might not know this, but I am a self- taught crocheter and for the first 8 years of my crochet addiction, I only made blankets and only used variations of the Granny Stitch. I honestly wasn’t aware that so much more could be done with crochet, and it wasn’t until I discovered the rabbit hole we know as Pinterest that I realized all of the amazing possibilities.
But probably because of spending 8 years pretty much only using the Granny Stitch, I don’t often incorporate this classic crochet stitch into my designs. I really find it boring to do, now that I have learned about so many other stitch techniques. But in the case of the Party Pop Shawl, I really think using the Granny Stitch was the right move. I really love the way these stitches come together so the end result appears far more complicated than it really was to make.
You can snag a copy of the Party Pop Shawl below:
The Party Pop Shawl is the last pattern featured in the Shrugs and Wraps that Hug blog hop hosted by Sandra Stitches! On September 23, 2024 you can grab a copy of the Party Pop Shawl pattern for free with the code you will find in the main post.
You can sign up for the Straight Awesome Newsletter to be among the first to know about new patterns, collaborative events and more, PLUS receive exclusive freebies and discounts.
I can’t wait to share my new design that will be releasing on September first, so stay tuned!
Until next time,
Happy Hooking!
~Malena
