Lazy Diamond Boho Pocket Shawl free or paid pattern

Due to my ongoing elbow tendinopathy, I expected it would take months for me to finish this Lazy Diamond Boho Pocket Shawl project that should otherwise be easily completed in about a week (were I able to crochet normally). It didn't end up taking quite that long ... just over a month, actually. But whether you can make it quickly or have to exercise patience, this project will be worth the wait. 

The camera doesn't begin to do justice to the true hue of the Red Heart yarn's Charcoal colorway. In person this deep gray has almost a bluish cast to it that is lovely. 

Pattern designer Crystal White-Van Cleemput shares her entire process for how to make this project in a free YouTube tutorial. But I found myself struggling to follow the video because it was lacking some small details (like stitch counts), so I bought the PDF pattern, and that was very well written and much simpler for me to follow. So if you have difficulty following the video, jump over to Ravelry and buy the PDF.

One skein of the Red Heart Super Saver was almost enough to complete one of the large squares; my first skein ran out on the last round of the fifth repeat. However, I'm working this in a slightly larger gauge with a larger hook, so it might be possible for someone to get an entire large square if they were working this with the hook called for in the pattern.

I'm working this in a slightly different gauge than is written in the pattern, but I believe that that will best suit this heavy worsted weight yarn.

Two skeins is more than enough to make one large square and two small squares (the pockets). Three skeins is enough to make two large squares and at least one small square. Four skeins was not quite enough to make three large squares; the fourth skein ran out on the fourth round of the fifth pattern repeat of the third large square.

Boho Summer Cotton Swingy Shawlivest

I like the look of the four-row repeated stitch pattern of the Boho Summer Cardigan (there is a free version of the pattern on YouTube), which got me wondering whether I could use that stitch pattern in the shape of a Swingy Shawlivest. 

I'm making this one with cotton yarn for wear during the warm summer months. This was an experiment in melding two different patterns, and you can see by the way the center increase veers off at an angle (rather than staying centered) that it didn't turn out totally perfect, but it's still completely wearable and comfortable and will be fine for me. If I wanted to do this again to give to someone else, I'd have to recalculate how to keep the center increase in the center. 😉

Decided to finish this one with crocheted rope-twist fringe along the bottom to complement the boho style. There are many tutorials on YouTube for how to make this type of fringe. I like this one and this one. 

For 6-inch fringe: SC into first st. ( * SC into next st and pull up a loop that's 16 inches long. Using your finger, twist the loop 40 times. Place end of loop back on hook and sl in same SC where you started the long loop. SC in next st. Pull the twisted loop open and then drop it to allow the rope twist to settle evenly along its length. ** ) Repeat from * to  ** across hem, ending with a SC in the last st. Finish off and weave in all ends. 

Some people twist the loop while it's on their hook, and if it works for you to do it that way, great. But I find it easier for me to twist the loop on my finger. I'm always dropping the loop when I try to twist it while it's on my hook. So use whichever method works best for you. 

Since my loops are 16 inches long, that means each strand of fringe actually uses 32 inches of yarn, which is only 4 inches less than a yard. Keep that in mind if you want to make fringe this way; it requires a LOT of yardage. Generally more yardage than cut fringe would require. But the upside of the rope-twisted fringe is it can safely go into the washer and dryer. 

To make 3-inch fringe, work the same as above but only pull up an 8-inch loop and twist it 20 times. I suppose to get a 4.5-inch fringe you would pull up a 12-inch loop and twist it 30 times. (etc.)

Total yarn weight used: 928 grams, including fringe.