Soda Shawl in Detail

In my current designs and projects, I am deeply focused on three things:

1. New stitches – in general, stitches that are worked differently and look different, to expand crochet stitch vocabulary and its visual language.

2. Multicolored yarns and less common fibers – creating the exact stitch or technique that allows these materials and colors to shine.

3. Different fabric behaviors – finding new ways to make crochet fabrics feel different: lighter, drapier, more fluid, etc.

Many of my projects fall into several categories at once: a new stitch, an interesting color or fiber, and a fabric that behaves in a way I find exciting.

The Soda shawl is different. It is worked in merino wool, in a solid color, and uses the simplest crochet stitches. Nothing about it made me expect such an interesting fabric, but this is exactly what happened!

Soda uses just two basic crochet stitches: single crochet and chain. It is worked in a linen stitch which I adjusted to create small, delicate eyelets.

The fabric is fairly solid (I mean, it’s not an open lace with lots of chain spaces and tall stitches), but even the one-skein version of the shawl turned out bigger than expected, with a 51″ (130 cm) wingspan.

I made many shawls in Malabrigo Sock, and a wingspan like this usually requires two skeins of yarn.

And two-skein Soda measures 68″ (173 cm) along the wingspan, and that's the size I would normally expect from three skeins.

I've never been a big fan of the idea of one-skein projects, simply because they often turn out smaller than I like, especially when it comes to solid or textured fabrics.

That is why Soda feels so special to me. This is not a headscarf like I thought it would be! :D

Construction

For Soda, I used my favorite shawl construction: the boomerang shape. I love it more than any other shawl construction because it:

• grows faster than regular triangles

• creates longer wings

• and, at the same time, keeps the depth shorter.

I find this shape very comfortable to wear.

Stitch Pattern

Besides the shawl instructions, the pattern also includes the stitch pattern instructions and a chart, which can be used as they are for any rectangular project: a scarf, a stole, a blanket, etc.

And just in case you’d like to modify it a little and spread the eyelets out more (as shown in the upper portion of the swatch below), you can do this by working two additional rows of linen stitch before setting up the next eyelet row with chain spaces.

Edging

The pattern features two edging options, and the choice between them was simply based on the amount of yarn I had.

• For the one-skein pink Soda, I finished the shawl with little points (just one final row).

• The larger two-skein grey Soda uses plain linen stitch as a border (and I worked as many rows as I had yarn left for).

So, whatever amount of yarn you decide to use, you can simply adjust the size by working as many eyelet rows as you like, and choose the edging option that fits the yarn you have left.

If you have only a little yarn remaining (closer to the amount needed for the last two rows), use the pointed edging; or stop at your desired shawl size and use the rest of the yarn for the plain edging.

What’s Next

My Soda project is not over yet!

I plan to join two of my samples into one large wrap, the same way as I did with the two Make a Wish shawls. I love this construction so much that I now, honestly, plan all my new shawl projects and choose colors for them in a way that allows me to join them later. ◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍

I am going to frog one side of the last row of the grey Soda and work it again, joining it with the wingspan of the pink Soda at the same time.

For now, I used markers to connect both shawls together and wrapped them around the mannequin to see how it looks from the front and the back.

I really love the look!

And if you like this idea too, just make two one-skein Sodas :) There is no need to make a one- and two-skein versions like I did (unless you want to make it exactly like mine).

This is such a simple way to create a beautiful trapezoid wrap!

Color Options

Somehow, the happiest colors ended up in my Photoshop palette this time, and if I made Soda again, I would definitely pick poppy red, sunny yellow, or bright blue!

Or just imagine it in a dark shade! ♡

You can see this shawl in motion in these reels on Instagram:

🎥 https://www.instagram.com/ravliki/reel/Da8CxDCsl_J/
🎥 https://www.instagram.com/ravliki/reel/DZ-BEjwM7Iq/

The Soda pattern is available on my website, Etsy, and Ravelry. It is part of the Linen City collection, along with Flavia and Maraska tops.

All three patterns are 20% off until the end of July. And if you would like to make more than one pattern from the collection, there are various bundle options available with 30% and 40% discounts.

Thank you and happy crocheting ♡
~ Lena