April Showers Shawl

blue shawl on mannequin

The April Showers Shawl brings smiling faces! 😀

Hey there!

Spring is here and surprise, surprise it’s raining! (At least it’s too warm to snow. 😉 )

So my little family was sitting in Denny’s waiting for our orders after we finished shopping at Hobby Lobby for yarn for my newest project, when my husband says to me, “I’ve got this idea for a set of themed shawls.” My husband usually comes up with some pretty good ideas, I must say, but I don’t think he was expecting the reaction he got after telling me this idea.

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blue shawl on woman

We had just purchased the yarn that I needed for a floral themed shawl that I was so excited to make and were finished yarn shopping for the day…or so we thought. He said, “What if you made two shawls: April Showers bring May flowers?”

And instantly a light bulb went off in my head! It was genius! I had already intended to make the floral shawl, but I would need to go back to Hobby Lobby because I absolutely HAD to make the rain themed April Showers Shawl to go with it.

blue shawl hanging on wall

My husband (I imagine he didn’t feel like taking another trip back through Hobby Lobby) actually tried to convince me that I should make the set next year — come up with another floral patterned shawl since I had already bought the supplies for this one.

Well, I wasn’t having it! It was the cutest idea and boy, was I going to run with it! Wait till next year, yeah right!

Here is the May Flowers Shawl to complete the set. Click the link for the free pattern!

back view blue shawl held open by a woman

When I got home, I started searching Pinterest for just the right stitch pattern that looked like raindrops. I couldn’t find anything that I liked. It was when I pulled out my most favorite stitch book called The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs by Linda A. Schapper, that I found my solution. The design was for a standard rectangular swatch, but I just knew that I could create a triangle from the design. I also knew that once I turned the pattern upside down, it would look exactly like raindrops! Doesn’t get much more perfect than that!

And the best part was that when I altered the pattern, I decreased the amount of repeat rows from five to two! It was like it was meant to be!

The most difficult stitch you’ll need to know is the triple (treble) crochet and I don’t think that stitch is that difficult in all honesty. I’ve created a video tutorial where I make a miniature version of this shawl. You can see that video here or at the bottom of this post.

Also, the April Showers Shawl can be made in Youth sizes all the way up to 5XL! I’ve included a chart with width measurements. Simply adjust your foundation chain to your desired size. You will be working the upper part of the shawl first and decreasing as you go along. There are no special decrease stitches other than single crochets. I’ve kept this pattern as easy as possible.

april showers shawl blue shawl worn on woman

PIN THIS APRIL SHOWERS SHAWL PATTERN NOW

Add this project to your Ravelry queue here…

Materials Used:

3.5 skeins of I Love This Yarn! Stonewash in Mint Lace – 5 oz/ 142 g – 252 yds/230 m (only 3 skeins if you don’t want the fringe)
Or any size 4 medium weight yarn
I/9 (5.25 mm) hook — My favorite hooks! I use them daily!
Tapestry needle
Measuring tape to determine size needed

Finished Size Approximately:

60” Width x 38” Length (without fringe)

Gauge:

16 double crochet stitches and 7 rows in a 4” (10cm) square.

Special Stitches:

Triple (Treble) Crochet

YO twice, insert hook into stitch, YO and draw back through. YO and draw through two loops, YO and draw through 2 loops, YO and draw through two loops.

Abbreviations:

YO – yarn over
FC – foundation chain (beginning chain)
sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
tc – triple (treble) crochet
sl st – slip stitch
ch(s) – chain(s)
st(s) – stitch(es)

Notes:

One side of the single crochet border is worked in as you build the main body of your shawl. When you go to add a border at the end, you will only crochet your single crochet stitches around 2 sides.
This example April Showers shawl measures 60” across. If you would like a larger or smaller shawl, use this chart at the end of the pattern.
For sizing, stand with arms spread wide. Measure from finger tip to finger tip (or a few inches longer if you like your shawls over-sized) and find the closest measurement from the chart below. If your measurement is in between, I recommend you size up.
The video tutorial can be found here.

*** American crochet terms used throughout.

Instructions:

FC: Ch 242 (Or whatever size you need from the chart below)

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, sc. *Ch 1, skip 4 chs. In next ch, (tc, ch 2, tc, ch 2, tc, ch 2, tc, ch 2, tc). Ch 1, skip 4 chs, sc in next ch.* Repeat from * to * across. Turn.

april showers shawl row 1 tutorial

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in next ch-1 space. Sc in top of tc from previous row. *2 sc in ch-2 space, sc in tc* Repeat from * to * once more. Sc in next tc. (See photo below) **Ch 3, skip 1st ch-2 space. In next ch-2 space, dc. Ch 2, skip the next two ch-1 spaces, dc in next ch-2 space. Ch 3. Skip next ch-2 space, sc in the top of the next tc from the previous row (middle spike of the 5)** Repeat from ** to ** across. Turn.

april showers shawl row 2 tutorial

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in same st ch-1 comes out of. *Ch 1. Skip the ch-3 space. In next ch-2 space, (tc, ch 2, tc, ch 2, tc, ch 2, tc, ch 2, tc). Ch 1, skip the ch-3 space, sc in next st* Repeat from * to * across. Turn.

Note: At the end of every Row 3 repeat, after you make your final sc, sl st in the next st. This will keep your border of single crochets solid.

row 3 tutorial

Alternate Row 2 and Row 3 for the pattern. The number of rows you need to work are included in the graph below.

Don’t finish off after last row.

Border

One side of the shawl already has a row of single crochets. You will ch 1 after your last row and turn. Work single crochets evenly around the bottom tip of the shawl and up the side that doesn’t already have a border. At the top corner, (sc, ch 3, sc) all in the same space. Continue single crocheting evenly along the top of the shawl. At the next corner, (sc, ch 3, sc) and slip stitch in the first single crochet of the preexisting border.

Finish off. Weave in ends.

Width	Number of Foundation Chains	Number of Rows
40"	162 chs	32
42.5"	172 chs	34
45"	182 chs	36
47.5"	192 chs	38
50"	202 chs	40
52.5"	212 chs	42
55"	222 chs	44
57.5"	232 chs	46
60"	242 chs	48
62.5"	252 chs	50
65"	262 chs	52

Note: If you need larger than 65”, simply continue to add 2.5” to the width, 10 chains to the foundation chain and increase by two rows for each size. Also, this shawl will stretch because of the lacy stitch pattern and your width may increase slightly.

Fringe

Cut 12” lengths of yarn. Beginning in one of the uppermost corners, put three strands together and fold in half. Insert your hook into the stitch and wrap your loops around it and gently draw through, but not the entire way. You will have the six ends poking out of one side of the shawl and the 3 loops sticking out the back. Insert the six ends into the loops to wrap around the stitch. Pull the six ends to tighten. Repeat in every other stitch all the way down the one side of the shawl, around the tip and then back up the other side, stopping at the corner.

Trim to your desired length if you choose.

TIP: I found a hardback book that was 6” wide. I wrapped the yarn around it many times along the length of the book. I then took scissors and cut the strands along the paper side, not the spine side. You can easily make many fringe pieces at one time that are all the same length.

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