A Busy Maker’s Journey: Crocheting a Shawl in Four Weeks

Nora Xu

Yarn: wool, nylon, acrylic blend I got from my trip

Tools:

I brought back some yarn from a trip and wanted to make something with it. While I was looking for inspiration, I came across this Sideways Sampler Shawl pattern and thought it would make good use of my newly purchased yarn and be nice for spring. Also, using different stitches throughout the project was very appealing to me. For someone who enjoys texture and variety, this felt like playtime.

This shawl is designed for a four-week Crochet Along (CAL), and the day I found it happened to be the starting day. I guess this was meant to be. So, I started without hesitation, and making this shawl quietly reshaped how I think about crocheting garments.

Something to go back to

This shawl took about four weeks, but it wasn’t a grind. I spent roughly three to four hours per week, and that pacing made a big difference for me.

Each week, no matter how busy things got, coming back to this project felt like a small, refreshing pause. I used to think garments and bigger projects were intimidating — they take a long time, and I’d be overwhelmed and then never finish. But after making this shawl, I realized that taking it slow and pacing it out can turn a seemingly too big project into something totally doable and actually enjoyable.

Most of my patterns are quick projects that can be done in one afternoon or a weekend, but maybe in the future, I'll dip my toes into designing garment patterns too.

A neat tip: chain-less starting double crochet

The pattern suggested using a chain-less starting double crochet (CSDC) instead of a turning chain, and I tried it for the first time on this project. It’s a small technical swap, but the result is a much cleaner edge, which is easier to work with when making a border later. I’ll definitely be using CSDC again in my future projects.

Counting vs. frogging: the compromise

Twice during the project, I had to unravel a few rows. I tried my best to count stitches in every row; for some tricky sections, I even counted every half row. So I caught the mistakes early, and the unravelling was manageable. Admittedly, I am not a big fan of counting, but I hate frogging more. So, a compromise – a little counting saves more time (and frustration) in the long run.

Everything in one place

As the shawl grew, I started to use a basket to hold the project, yarn, and tools in one place. Whenever I came back to this project, I could just grab the basket and get started right away. For a project stretched across weeks, that one-basket trick was really helpful. It saved a lot of time looking for the right-size hook that went missing and lowered the barrier of coming back to the project. Everything was all together, ready to go.

Speaking of keeping things in place, I want to emphasize my love of the crocheted tray & pin cushion I designed and made. While making this shawl, the avocado tray was a great help in keeping stitch markers, my hook, needles, and scissors organized, so I could reach them whenever I needed.

I often have multiple projects going at the same time, and I put the tools for each project in their own tray. When I go back to a certain project, all I need to do is grab that tray and start. Very handy.

Yarn choices and a “fuzzy” note

As a pattern designer, following another designer’s pattern gave my brain a rest from creating and let me focus on the rhythm of the stitches. I loved seeing how different stitches play together in this project — they made the process more fun and give the project a more distinctive texture.

Though I like the softness and color of the yarn I used for this project, its fuzziness did make the stitch details and texture less pronounced than I expected. It’s not a regret, just a learning note: for sampler-stitch projects where you want texture to pop, choose a yarn with clearer stitch definition.

The underrated magic of blocking

Blocking can feel like an extra chore, and I admit I tried to skip it. I am glad that, this time, I didn’t. Blocking allowed the stitches to relax into their places and gave the shawl a neat, professional look. To be honest, I truly didn’t know how to style this shawl at first, but after I finished the blocking, the piece looks so much better and drapes very naturally.

Final thoughts

The biggest takeaway from making this shawl wasn’t a technique but a tempo. Crocheting three to four hours a week over a month felt like a calm ritual I looked forward to. Breaking the process into four parts turned a “too big” project into several satisfying mini-projects. The pacing preserved my interest and let the joy of making grow naturally.

More than just an added item to my wardrobe, this shawl carries the memory of my calm and cozy weekly sessions — a small pause I returned to even when life got busy. If you’re hesitating to try making something larger, try pacing it out. Give yourself permission to stitch in short, deliberate sessions. The work becomes manageable, and the process becomes the part you’ll miss when it’s done.

If you are a crocheter already, try starting and pacing a project that you thought you might never finish and see how it fits into your week. Or join a CAL that divides a project into sections.

If you want to become a crocheter, try my beginner’s kit, which breaks learning down to small sessions to get you started and keep you going.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.