I'm so excited to share that my latest pattern is now live! The Matrescence Shawl is a beginner-friendly Tunisian crochet pattern, and it's the perfect stash buster!
The idea for this pattern came about way back in 2020. I was sent some lace weight mini skeins by a yarn company as part of a mini skein challenge that they were running. I had done a bit of Tunisian crochet and really enjoyed the meditative nature of it, so I decided to try and design my own pattern. After a bit of trial and error, I ended up with a lovely design that I was really pleased with - pictured below. Several people requested a pattern when I shared it on Instagram, but I was reluctant for two reasons - firstly, lace weight mini skeins aren't widely available (except in mohair) and secondly, it was a nice small triangle shawl but really not big enough for my taste. I like a shawl that's big enough to give you the option of wearing it over your shoulders as well as to the front. So it went on the back burner!
After releasing my first pattern, the Albireo Shawl, last year, I felt a little more confident to try my hand at a bigger version of my Tunisian Shawl. I wrote up the pattern and dug through my stash for five partial skeins to use as a fade. I started working on the sample in February while heavily pregnant, and had almost finished when I realised that the final two colours really didn't work as part of the fade. I came to the conclusion that I'd have to frog it and then just fade back out again, meaning it only used three colours. Then before I had a chance to do it, my baby was born! He was about six weeks old before I got a chance to frog it and finish it, but I got such a sense of satisfaction when I finally did.
During testing, I was struggling with naming this pattern. As I had crocheted this and written the pattern while pregnant and then adjusting to life with a newborn, I wanted something that reflected those changes, with a nod to the fade of the yarns in the shawl too. One of my testers suggested Matrescence, which means the transition to motherhood - or the process of becoming a mother, physically, psychologically and emotionally. That fit my feelings so perfectly! My baby is 4 months old now, and the past year of first pregnancy and then motherhood has been a huge rollercoaster, albeit one that I wouldn’t change for the world!
Below you can find all the details for the Matrescence Shawl, including links to purchase the pattern. Please do share your shawls on Instagram using the hashtags #MatrescenceShawl and #WhollyHooked so that I can see and share them - I cannot wait to see more Matrescence Shawls appear!
Pattern Details
The Matrescence Shawl is a beginner-friendly Tunisian crochet shawl pattern, worked in fingering weight yarn. The sample uses three colours, fading in to the centre and back out again, but the pattern also includes instructions for five colours. This makes it a great stash buster!
Size Finished shawl has a wingspan of 185cm/72” and has a depth of 72cm/28” at the point.
Gauge 14 sts and 13 rows = 10cm/4” in Tunisian Simple Stitch blocked.
Yarn The sample shown uses three colours of 4-ply/fingering weight, 75% Superwash Merino/25% Nylon yarn (referred to as Colours A, B, and C). Yarn amounts are as follows: Yarn A: 285m/312yds Yarn B: 280m/307yds Yarn C: 150m/164yds Alternatively, five colours could be used with one for each section of the shawl. In this case, each section would require approximately 150m/164yds of yarn. Yarn alternatives: any 4-ply/fingering weight yarn should work well for this pattern
Other materials
8mm (US L/11) hook with 60cm (24in) cable, or size needed to achieve gauge
Scissors
Darning needle
You can purchase the pattern by following the links below. Use the code MAT10 for 10% off until midnight BST 10th July!
I can't wait to see your Matrescence Shawls!