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I am really pleased to be able to let you know that my Fractal Fern Fronds shawl crochet pattern features in Crochet Foundry Magazine June 2024. Making the sample for this was a real delight, and and I'm excited for the public launch of this issue on 7th June 2024. The issue includes the full pattern along with customisation tips, yarn reviews and a bonus children's craft idea, plus a wonderful range of beautiful projects for the warm weather and articles on yarn related topics. The new editor Crochet Foundry has themed the June issue around the Pride flags to celebrate Pride month. Each designer was sent yarn to create a sample in a colourway based on a specific flag and the patterns are accompanied by some background information on the relevant flag. Do take a look and see if your next project might be in there!
The shawl is a bold but very wearable summer accessory for those days when you're dressed for the season, however the sun is taking a day off or it's breezy so you need a little extra warmth but it's summer so you don't want to wear a coat or jacket! It should certainly work through autumn as well and could be used indoors or over a coat in winter as well. I think it can work well with anything from really casual outfits to a formal dress as it can be draped and tied in such a variety of ways.
The stitch pattern for the body is incredibly simple and makes use of bold stripes rather than complex stitches to add interest, so you have a decent length of relaxing crochet to work and only need to refer to the pattern for the stitch counts of the contrast stripes every 12 rows. Then you get to the most fun part: the border, five rows of varied, overlapping stitches to create a bold, highly textured edging that will appear in different locations depending on how it's worn. Confession: I really like the effect of the middle stripe being a little narrower than all the others but it actually wasn't my original plan; I shortened it because I was afraid of running out of yarn!
The inspiration for this collection comes from the colours in some of the pride flags and the yarn supplied for the sample of my design included two shade of blue, white, yellow and orange. These are the colours of the Aroace flag representing those who feel no romantic or sexual attraction to others. The shape of the shawl is inspired by the way fern leaves unfurl from a tightly curled end.
I worked up the sample in We Crochet Swish yarn and I would definitely choose to use that again if I made another. It was very soft to work with and really had a great combination of springiness and lightness that ensured the the weight of the border didn't overwhelm the rest o the shawl and cause it to droop or distort. It should feel nice and soft against the skin, which is ideal for neck accessories and it's handy for those who don't like hand washing their woollens that this can go in the washing machine.
I worked on this during the cold weather and I can't tell you how nice it was to snuggle under it as it grew. I feel sure it will feel just as nice to wear. Once it was complete I had fun tying it on Maggie the Mannequin who looks very elegant in this particular shawl.
Seeing the finished project in the magazine preview was lovely. The colours in this issue are so cheery and the garments are a wonderful collection, so varied and interesting. I'm thinking of making myself the earrings from the issue.
Pattern: Fractal Fern Fronds Shawl
Published in: Crochet Foundry Magazine June 2024
Yarn: We Crochet Swish worsted weight Superwash wool in Mimic 28642; Serene 28661; Honey 26061; White 24064: Allspice 24297
Do let me know if you make the shawl. I'm always so excited when I see that someone has used one of my patterns! I love to get comments on my blog too, so do let me know your thoughts on the design or ask any questions you have below.
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