I'm delighted to share that my first ever crochet pattern is now live! The Albireo Shawl has been a labour of love for me over the past few months and I am so proud that it is finally ready to share with the world. You can find links to purchase the pattern at the bottom of this post.
It's been almost a year since I first had the idea for this design - a big, drapey triangle shawl with a solid centre section and deep lacy edging. It took me two samples to get the design exactly how I wanted it to look - the lace was particularly challenging! It was after I had finished my first sample and was puzzling over what I could change to make the pattern flow better that my friends and local dyers Giddy Aunt Yarns reached out to see if I'd be interested in a collaboration with them. After sending them some details and pictures of my pattern idea, they kindly offered to provide yarn support for the pattern. It honestly means so much to me that they were willing to take a chance on someone who had never written a pattern in her life! Giddy Aunt Yarns will have kits for the Albireo Shawl available at their studio open day on 23rd October and on their website too, just in case you don't have anything suitable in your stash!
As if writing my first crochet pattern wasn't difficult enough, I ended up coming up with a new stitch to achieve the look I wanted for the lace. I couldn't find it by googling or in any of my stitch dictionaries, so this certainly did not make my job of writing up the pattern easier. I really struggled with the wording for these rows, and I'm eternally grateful to my wonderful team of pattern testers for helping me to clarify it to the point where I now have a clear and detailed pattern, with plenty of step-by-step photos and a video tutorial. Although at first glance the lace may look daunting, I am confident that an advanced beginner could tackle this pattern.
When I finally finished the proper sample, I was so chuffed with it. It came out exactly how it had looked in my head! I had no idea what to call it though. Eventually my husband came to my rescue - over the past year he has purchased a telescope and taken up stargazing, and he has been sharing some of the things he has learned with me. He suggested that I call the shawl Albireo, which is a double star in the Cygnus constellation - one star is yellow and one blue, with a striking contrast between the two. This made perfect sense for my high contrast sample, which pairs a delicate speckled mint colour with a fabulous neon pink!
Below you can find all the details for the Albireo Shawl, including links to purchase the pattern. Please do share your shawls on Instagram using the hashtags #AlbireoShawl and #WhollyHooked so that I can see and share them - I cannot wait to see more Albireo Shawls appear!
Pattern details
The Albireo Shawl is a fingering weight triangle shawl. First, the centre section is worked top down in Linen Stitch. The lace section is then worked along the two bottom edges. My sample uses two colours so that the lace is high contrast, but the options are endless! The pattern includes detailed photo tutorials and a link to a video tutorial for the lace section.
Size
Finished shawl has a wingspan of 175cm/69” and a depth of 80cm/32” at the centre point, after blocking. The lace section should have a depth of approximately 12.75cm/5” after blocking - firm blocking will really help to open up and show off the lace.
Gauge
26 stitches by 27 rows in 10cm x 10cm/4” x 4” in Linen Stitch (*sc, ch1, sk1*) blocked.
Yarn A: 714m/781y of Giddy Aunt Yarns Merino Mohair Singles in Kitsch (speckled mint colour) - 55% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon, 20% Kid Mohair, 400m/437y/100g
Yarn B: 289m/316y of Giddy Aunt Yarns Merino Smooth Sock in Wham (pink) - 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon, 425m/464y/100g
Yarn alternatives: any 4-ply/fingering weight yarn should work well for this pattern. Fibre content is not hugely important, but I would recommend using a yarn with good stitch definition for the lace section to show it off fully.
Other materials
4mm/US G-6 hook, or size needed to obtain gauge
Two stitch markers (optional)
Scissors
Darning needle
Approximately 200 pins for lace blocking
This pattern uses US crochet terms.
You can purchase the pattern by following the links below. Use the code STARSTRUCK for 5% off until midnight 17th October!
I can't wait to see your Albireo Shawls!