This circular shawl alternates knot stitch with compact double-crochet clusters, creating radiating cable-like lines from the center. Eight increase lines expand the body before a broad shell and scallop border is added.
Materials
- White Shetland floss
- Medium-sized bone crochet hook, or modern equivalent
Vintage Instructions
Foundation: Chain 4 and join in a circle.
Round 1: Chain 3, work 1 double crochet in the circle. Make a knot stitch by drawing the loop on the hook out about 1/3 inch, yarn over and draw through, then work a close single crochet around the front of the long stitch. Work a cluster of 2 double crochet in the ring. Alternate knot stitch and 2-double-crochet cluster until there are 8 knot stitches. Join the last knot stitch to the 3rd chain at the beginning.
Round 2: Chain 3, double crochet in the next double crochet, knot stitch, then work a 2-double-crochet cluster in the same place. Continue around, placing 2 clusters separated by a knot stitch in each cluster of the previous round. This doubles the number of clusters and knot stitches.
Round 3: Begin with chain 3 and double crochet. Alternate knot stitches and clusters, placing an additional cluster in the knot-stitch spaces as directed so the eight increase lines are maintained.
Following rounds: Continue alternating knot stitches and clusters. On even-numbered rounds, make increases by putting 2 clusters into one cluster of the previous round. On odd-numbered rounds, place the extra cluster in the knot stitch between those two clusters. Keep all eight widening lines straight.
Continue until the body is the desired size.
Border
Alternate a single double crochet and a shell of 2 double crochet, chain 1, 2 double crochet, keeping knot stitches between the solid elements. Work the first 3 border rounds alike. Work 4 more rounds with chain 2 in the center of each shell to widen the border slightly.
On the 8th border round, work a scallop of 6 loose double crochet separated by chain 1 into a shell; chain 1, single crochet over the single double crochet of the previous row, chain 1, and repeat.
Finish with loose chain-2 loops around each scallop, keeping the spaces between scallops compact.
Crochet Board Editorial Note
The source emphasizes inserting the hook through an additional back thread at the top of each cluster. This produces the twisted, cable-like radiating lines visible in the original design.
Vintage Source
Publication: Priscilla Wool Crochet Book
Editor: Lola Burks Hettich
Publisher: The Priscilla Publishing Company, Boston
Year: 1912
Original printed page: 21 (scan pages 24–25)
Rights: Public-domain historical work. The Library of Congress states that books in this collection are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.