Rowan Wiremu Shawl Crochet Pattern

Rowan Wiremu Crochet Shawl by Jane Crowfoot

What is Being Made

The Wiremu is a crocheted shawl designed by Jane Crowfoot for Rowan. This is a large triangular or wrap-style shawl with generous dimensions, measuring approximately 222 cm (87½ inches) along the upper edge and approximately 111 cm (43½ inches) deep when completed. The shawl is worked in a lightweight yarn suitable for warm-weather wear, making it an elegant layering piece or standalone accessory.

Techniques Used

The Wiremu employs several key crochet techniques that create its distinctive aesthetic:

• Top-down construction: The shawl is worked from the top downward, a method that allows for easy customization of finished size and provides flexibility during the crocheting process.
• Worked flat: The entire piece is constructed in flat rows rather than in the round, making it straightforward to follow the pattern progression.
• Lace patterning: Intricate lace elements are incorporated throughout, created through strategic spacing and openwork techniques that give the shawl its delicate, breathable quality.
• Increases and shaping: The pattern includes deliberate increases (such as working multiple stitches into single stitches and chain spaces) to create the shawl's expanding triangular or wrap shape, with marked center stitches that serve as reference points for symmetrical shaping.

Stitches Used

The Wiremu pattern employs fundamental crochet stitches combined to achieve its lace effect:

• Double crochet (dc): Used extensively as the primary stitch, creating solid fabric areas and forming the base of the lace pattern.
• Treble crochet (tr): Incorporated to add height and create the openwork lace sections that characterize the shawl's delicate appearance.
• Chain stitches (ch): Used to create the spaces and gaps that define the lace pattern, with varying chain counts (including 1-chain and 3-chain spaces) used strategically throughout the design.

The pattern alternates between rows of solid stitch work and rows featuring chain spaces, building the lace structure row by row. Marker placement on center stitches helps maintain symmetry as the shawl expands.

Materials

The Wiremu pattern calls for specific materials to achieve the intended drape and finished appearance:

• Yarn: Rowan Summerlite 4ply in two colorways—Washed Linen (418) requiring 7 x 50gm balls, and Still Grey (422) requiring 4 x 50gm balls. The 4ply weight provides a lightweight, breathable fabric ideal for a lace shawl.
• Crochet hook: 3.00mm (US C2/D3) crochet hook for working the main pattern.
• Tension: The pattern is worked to a tension of 26 stitches and 10 rows over 10 cm (measured over the main pattern using the 3.00mm hook), ensuring the lace pattern achieves the correct scale and drape.

Pattern Details

The Wiremu is graded as a moderate skill level project, suitable for crocheters with foundational knowledge of basic stitches and the ability to follow detailed row-by-row instructions. The pattern progresses through multiple rows, with increases worked strategically to shape the shawl. The use of two yarn colors (Washed Linen as the primary yarn and Still Grey as an accent) adds visual interest and allows for creative color placement. The pattern reference is ZB231-00011 v.2, and additional pattern information is available through knitrowan.com.