Light as a breeze, the Coles River Kerchief mixes feminine charm and addictive crochet in one easy-to-follow crochet pattern.
Terrified of fingering weight yarn? Don’t think you can crochet with it? Think again! The Coles River Kerchief is disrupting stereotypes and building community. Join the party! You’ll be glad you did.
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Get your copy of the Coles River Kerchief on Etsy and TLYarnCrafts.com. The printer-friendly PDF version includes a 5-page, full color crochet pattern in an easy-to-follow format.
Don’t forget to favorite this pattern and upload your project to Ravelry!
It’s been a long time coming, but she’s finally here! I’ve been working on the Coles River Kerchief crochet pattern since June of this year, tweaking, testing and revising until it was perfect. I’ve been riding the wave of the Flatiron Shawl release since February, drooling over the beautiful color combinations and finished projects. For the Coles River Kerchief, I wanted a design that was a little more delicate to sing the praises of crocheting with fingering weight yarn.
Even more crochet shawl patterns (try them all!)
- Adore Shawl // 2. Flatiron Shawl // 3. Free Yourself Shawl
The Coles River Kerchief (CRK) started out as a collaboration and turned into a lovely friendship. I was approached on Instagram by Jake of Kenyarn, a cutie patootie independent yarn dyer out of Rhode Island. After chatting for a while and discussing my ideas, I sent him an inspirational photo of a dreamy bedroom with ice white linens and shibori dyed accent pieces. I told him to surprise me and send the yarn when it was ready. Spoiler alert – I WASN’T READY!
My loves, this yarn was beyond anything I could have imagined. I basically stared at it for two months. I mean, how could you not?!
When I finally broke down and caked the yarn, the design basically wrote itself. I knew I wanted something lightweight, so I went with a much larger hook than is suggested for fingering weight yarn. I also wanted a piece that combined strength and airyness. I achieved that by alternating sections of solid stitches and a lace-look cluster stitch. Finally, I wanted to create a dramatic wingspan while keeping the shawl shallow. That took some epic math skills (and several mugs of tea) but the final result was worth all the effort. The finished wrap measures nearly 80″ wide and only 19″ deep.
Something in my gut told me to be especially careful with this pattern, so I knew I needed to get it tested by crocheters that I could trust. I turned to my TLYC Insiders group and found a few magnificent gals to help me perfect the Coles River Kerchief pattern. Take a look at their gorgeous finished projects!
Clockwise from left: @sierrascrochetcrafts // @thewoollykraken // @stitchedbysarahs // @meghanmakesdo // @jackiesknits
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While in the testing phase and still chatting with Jake, I had the surprising (and terrifying!) idea that I should do a crochet along as part of my pattern release. A crochet along is an online event where makers start and finish a project together. I envisioned wonderful prizes and CRKs being made around the world! It took a loooooong time to plan, but the resulting event was a resounding success. All together, over 300 makers joined the CAL. We had a blast in our private Facebook group and it inspired me to start my own Facebook group, TLYC Makers. Want to see some of the beautiful projects made by makers in the CRK CAL group? Find them on Ravelry.
Join TLYC Makers, the official TL Yarn Crafts Facebook Group!
If you’ve never crocheted with fingering weight yarn before, this is a perfect time to try. Or, if you have two skeins of sock weight yarn you’ve been saving for a special occasion, break out the champagne! I’m convinced that you will fall in love with the Coles River Kerchief just like I have. The pattern is detailed but simple, and encourages makers to flex their creativity. Play around with speckled, self-striping, tonal, and ombre yarns to make a CRK that fits your personality.
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