I am really pleased to be able to let you know that my Wefan Wrap crochet pattern for a scarf, shawl or stole is now available in my Ravelry and Etsy Stores including separate UK and US terminology versions with both photo and video tutorials for the set-up rounds so everyone can learn this unusual stitch pattern in the way they enjoy best.
What's the inspiration for this Crochet Shawl/Scarf Pattern?
Wefan Wrap was inspired by the success of the Wefan Tee pattern and by many comments from those who, like me, love the stitch patterns but don't feel that an oversized, unshaped tee is a garment they'll enjoy wearing. Also, while I was honoured to learn that some crafters learnt to crochet to make this particular design and absolutely in awe of their beautiful finished project, there were many who felt that crocheting a garment was daunting for various reasons, e.g. cost of materials; confidence at working to gauge to ensure they ended up with the right size; and level of focus and pattern reading required when their hobby is mostly for the purposes of relaxation. Taking this into account, I wanted to create another Wefan design that can be enjoyed by as many makers and wearers as possible and so I chose to create a pattern for a neck and shoulder wrap that you can make in one of three widths: scarf, stole (the sample is this width) or for a shawl to cover the arms as well and which has an optional border to complement the main stitch and edging. Although I suggested a typical length in the pattern, you can easily make it shorter or longer to suit your own height, shoulder width or style.
I have really enjoyed working on Wefan, right from the start. Before I could knit or crochet, I loved to sew and was fascinated by different fabric fibres and construction techniques, so the colourful overlapping layers of woven fabrics with textures and patterns created by different weaving techniques, e.g. tartans, jacquard weaving and Indian handloom sarees inspired the stitch pattern and I wanted contrasting colours and textures of yarn to draw attention to the overlapped texture of the stitch.
What kind of yarn is best for the Wefan Wrap?
I was delighted to use the beautiful yarns of Qing Fibre a yarn dyer based locally in London, for the Wefan Tee sample but for the Wefan Wrap, in the interests of making the pattern feel accessible to crafters wherever they are located and whatever their budget, I did a little stash diving and came up with a few options that had interesting colours and textures and would play well together in an interlaced stitch pattern.
My first yarn was a gift from my mum for my birthday a couple of years ago: a 4ply/fingering weight high twist mercerised cotton in a light lilac: Phildar's Phil Coton 2. It was nice quality and relatively inexpensive, plus there are lots of very similar yarns, I had made a few small things from that but had most of the original four balls left. This offers a great sturdy low stretch finish that helps the wrap keep its shape well, so I picked this as the start and finish yarn and for the edgings too.
The second was two shades of pink King Cole Finesse Cotton and silk blend DK weight yarn. leftover from a magazine commission for the Persica bag. This has a really luxurious feel for a surprisingly low cost, an interesting texture from its two different weight plies and a lovely slip that helps the Wefan Stitch behave well. I felt like the two shades would work fairly well as one colour in the wrap and I had used just a little of each shade's second ball to complete the bag, so had most of those two balls left and I thought I had a third almost complete ball in a pink shade that I'd bought myself and used to make a swatch with when I sent the magazine my design idea for the bag but it turned out that wasn't the same, so I did have to buy one extra ball of that one and opted for the deeper pink.
The final yarn was again leftover from a magazine commission for the Cutaway Poncho. It was Drops Alpaca in a neutral cream shade, a lovely soft yarn, a little on the light side of 4ply/fingering weight but with a haze of fuzzy fibres around the strand and this adds a lovely soft finish to the textures of the Wefan stitch helping to bring the design together really well. It's very light too and that's why I chose this yarn for the border section which could have pulled the shawl out of shape if it was heavier.
I think Wefan offers a great deal of opportunity to have fun playing with colours and textures and I am really excited to see what others use, so don't forget to share your photos if you use social media! I've used 4ply and Dk yarns but you can choose from most weights from fine thread or laceweight up to perhaps including one aran/worsted yarn in your choice or variable thickness handspun yarns. I think two or three aran yarns would make it too dense to work well. If you don't like bold colours, it could work just as well featuring say a fluffy, silky and smooth matte yarn in exactly the same shade.
In terms of texture, I suggest one slippy yarn to allow the weave to move, e.g. maybe something with silk or a shiny cotton, one sturdy yarn to maintain shape, like cotton, linen or a springy wool and something high texture like a fluffy mohair/ alpaca or maybe a boucle yarn or one with beads, sequins or slubs to catch the eye. A word of caution: check your gauge! Swatch, wash your swatch, block well and if one yarn grows differently to the others so the stitches don't sit the right distance apart or if the length to width ratio changes, think again. That problem will be so much worse in a full size garment. Some yarns I'd be nervous about using are viscose (bamboo or wood based) and superwash yarns as both of those can stretch an unexpected amount when wetted and not always spring back.
Here is another swatch I made in the Wefan stitch pattern just made of scraps leftover from other projects. The pink is a 4ply mercerised cotton; the purple is a laceweight mohair yarn and the sand colour is an undyed baby camel and silk blend 4ply. Even if you can't find yarns with these kind of texture variations, you can make a statement with bold colour contrasts instead. I can't wait to see the results!
Developing the stitch pattern was very enjoyable despite much need for unpicking and trying again until it was just right and the sense of triumph I felt when it finally came out correctly was worth all the frustrations of unpicking and rewriting. After the first few rows are set up, which honestly do take a bit of concentration, it's a really easy pattern to follow and I loved working on it whether I was waiting for my children at the playground or outside dancing class or listening to the radio or watching yarncraft and gardening videos with my feet up. As if handling the lovely yarns wasn't pleasure enough in itself, every row reveals more of the woven pattern and I found that very motivating: a real "I'll just finish this row... ...oh well maybe one more row!" type of project. I love having a project with a good balance of easy relaxing stages and fun, interesting stitches.
Pattern: Wefan Wrap
Yarn: Phildar's Phil Coton 2 in Lavande 101, King Cole Finesse in Fondant 2852 and Soft Pink 282 and Drops Alpaca in 0100
Wefan Tee pattern is now available in my Ravelry and Etsy Stores including separate UK and US terminology versions with both photo and video tutorials for the set-up rounds.
I love to hear from anyone who uses one of my patterns to create a project. Any feedback you give about the pattern will help me develop future patterns that are easy to follow and it’s always exciting to see in-progress or finished projects created using my patterns. Leave me a comment below or get in touch if you have any thoughts about this design.
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