Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Shawls 5 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Gradient puff stitch shawl worked from a magic ring center
Triangular shawl from a magic ring: dc rounds shift to puff stitch, 2.5mm hook, gradient yarn.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- 4-ply
- Hook
- 2.5 mm
- Rounds
- 5
4-ply
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
5
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This shawl grows from a single magic ring into a triangle, with the first two rows worked entirely in double crochet to set the 13-stitch, then 19-stitch, foundation. Later rows shift from plain dc into puff stitch, worked either side of a widening chain space that runs down the center, then finish by alternating back post half double crochet rows with all-dc rows and edging with single crochet and crab stitch. Before starting, have the full cake of gradient Kokonki 4-ply wound and ready, the 2.5mm hook to hand, and a way to mark the center chain space, since every row's shaping pivots on finding it again. The work is turned after each row rather than joined in continuous rounds.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing the center chain space
- Place a locking marker directly in the chain space at the end of each row before starting the next; do not rely on counting stitches back from the edge.
- Adding increases at the center instead of the ends
- Work the dc increase only in the very first and very last stitch of the row; the middle formula adds stitches through the chain space, not through an increase.
- Uneven puff stitch height
- Pull each loop of the puff to the same height before closing it, and check the puff sits level with neighboring dc columns as you go.
The materials list
Yarn
- One cake of 4-ply Kokonki yarn (50% cotton, 50% acrylic; 1200 m, 320 g), colorway A950 — an ombre/gradient colorway that transitions smoothly without color changes or extra ends to weave in
- Crochet Hook: 2.5 mm
- Scissors
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 7 short forms
Start
Begin with a magic ring.
Row 1
Chain 3, 5 dc, 1 ch, 6 dc (13 sts)
Row 2
All Double Crochets (DCs): Start: Chain 3, 1 dc increase Middle: 2 dc, 1 ch, 2 dc all into chain spaceEnd: 1 dc increase, 1 dc (19 sts)For Rows 3-6 - Repeat the Process for DCs:Follow the same pattern as Row 2, expanding the number of DCs between the start, middle, and end formulas.
Row 7
Puffs and Chains Start: Chain 3, 1 dc increase, 1 ch Continue with 1 puff, 1 ch , till the middle, and then 1 puff, 3 ch, 1 puff in chain space.Repeat sequence until the last 3 stitches, ending with 1 ch, 1 dc increase, 1 dc.
Row 8
All DCs: Repeat the formula from Row 2, making 1 DC in each stitch.For Row 9 onwards: Continue alternating between puff stitch rows and DC rows, expanding the pattern as described, until reaching the desired size of the shawl.
Final Rows
Alternate between back post half double crochet (HDC) and all DC rows, finishing with a single crochet and crab stitch edge for a polished look.Turn your work after each row, and block your finished shawl for the best shape and drape when it's complete.
Check these before you start
- Keep a marker at the center chain space through every row; the middle formula in each row depends on locating it exactly, not on counting stitches to find it.
- Puff stitches pull up tighter than double crochet, so ease your tension slightly on puff rows to keep their height matching the dc columns beside them.
- The pattern is worked with an ombre/gradient colorway (A950) that transitions smoothly across the single cake, so no color changes or extra ends need to be woven in; a solid color can be substituted without changing the construction.
- Work is turned after each row rather than joined into continuous rounds; remember to turn before starting the next row.
On one line
| Rounds | 5 |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 2.5 mm |
| Yarn | 4-ply |
Set-up
- Confirm the single cake (1200 m, 320 g) is enough depth for the shawl you want; the gradient runs across one cake with no join planned.
- Read Row 2 in full before starting Row 3, since its start-middle-end formula is the one every later row repeats and expands.
- Mark the center chain space at the end of Row 1 so it stays easy to find once stitch counts climb past 19.
- Work a small puff-stitch swatch first to check that puff rows sit at the same tension as the dc rows before them.
Finishing
- Weave in the starting tail from the magic ring and any tails left from later rows, working them along the wrong side of a dc column rather than through a puff.
- Block the finished shawl to open out the chain spaces and even the puff texture, pinning the two outer points and the center spine.
- Once dry, check the final row's edge stitches lie flat; a light re-pin at the points sharpens the triangle before wear.
Construction
Increases happen only at the very start and end of each row (one dc increase each side); the center chain space itself is never increased into directly, so the triangle grows from its outer edges inward.
The center chain space widens from a single ch-1 in the dc rows to a ch-3 once puff stitches begin, marking the spine the whole shawl folds around and giving the puff section more room to sit without crowding.
The final rows shift texture again, alternating back post half double crochet with all-dc rows before finishing with a single crochet and crab stitch edge, giving the outer border a firmer, more defined line than the puff section.
Time per section
| Rows 1-2 (magic ring to 19 sts) | about 20-30 minutes because the stitch count is still low and the shaping formula is being learned |
|---|---|
| Rows 3-6 (all-dc expansion) | about 45-60 minutes because each row adds length on both sides plus the growing middle chain space |
| Puff stitch rows to final rows | about 2-3 hours because puff stitches work slower than dc, rounds keep lengthening, and the final rows add back post hdc plus a single crochet and crab stitch edge |
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.