So I fell in love with a shawl design
I am a complete beginner and I can tell that this is anything but a beginner pattern. Obviously this shouldn’t be the first project I attempt. However, could some of you maybe give me an idea of how ridiculous it would be to try this as one of my first 5 or so projects for example? How much experience would I need to work myself up to this? It looks so complicated.
Can I suggest an alternate as you work up to this? The Klaziena Shawl is a free, beautiful pattern that looks far more complex than it actually is: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/klaziena-shawl
There are really only three stitches to worry about (chain, single crochet, double crochet), the pattern is extremely clear, and it has both written instructions and a chart. This could give you great practice reading charts as well as with general shawl construction. (I've made it four or five times now!)
Posts, bobbles, cables, twisted stitches, and lace. This pattern has listed these attributes. So I would start by learning them each individually and practicing them separately. Those are all kind of finicky things on their own. Combined with each other, definitely makes this an advanced pattern. It's beautiful, and a wonderful goal, but be gentle with yourself and don't rush into it or it could permanently affect your enjoyment of crochet.
Oooh, thank you. It’s also my first time on ravelry and I hadn’t noticed that it’s tagged with the stitch types. Makes a lot of sense to work through those first one after the other. Picking a challenging project I can get really excited about as my first project is usually something I have a surprising amount of success with with crafting, but I suspect this one is just too far out of reach for now. I’ll find some lower hanging fruit to get excited about to get me closer to knowing all the stitches required. Thanks again.
I love making samples, so working up 8 x 8” / 20 x 20 cm samples of a lot of different stitches is fun for me.
There’s an old Bernat pattern that I have for an Afghan made of squares of very many different classic crochet stitches. It’s a great practice and skill building project.
If you choose a good palette of solid colour yarn, it works out nicely. If that kind of throw isn’t the kind of thing you like in your home, they’re always a gift or charity option.
I really think that starting a project you're not ready for will result in a finished piece that you hate to look at. Not to mention the headache of not knowing what's going on. That's not what I would want for a beginner to go through during a huge project.
Unfortunately, as a beginner, you really should start either with something more plain or something smaller, like a washcloth. I would recommend a washcloth with some complicated stitches so that you can practice and also get an idea of how motifs stitch up.
You could move on to lace work or a more complicated shawl from there if you're feeling adventurous. I know it's not great news, but after you get some more experience with fancier stuff you'll be ready for the pattern you linked and it will come out so much better.
This should be (at least) project 15 instead of project 5.
Fair enough. I mean this type of feedback is indeed exactly what I was asking for. I regularly try to give beginners reality checks in other crafts that I do have experience in and I figured I probably needed one of those ;) thanks for taking the time.
The pattern is behind a paywall so it's hard to tell how it would be presented, but it looks pretty involved. I probably wouldn't attempt it without being familiar with some decent experience with irregular shaping and such.
It's not perfect but ravelry has skill levels listed-- maybe start with easy ones and move up until you feel comfortable trying this one?
Makes a lot of sense. As the other commenter suggested I think I’ll work myself through the different stitches this project is tagged with one at a time. Might even find some with a lower difficulty on ravelry that I can get excited about while I’m on my way to learning enough to tackle this. Thanks!
When I was a novice, I didn't realize how important yarn weights are. This pattern uses a light fingering weight yarn. I don't know how it is where you live, but near me, that kind of yarn is expensive. I would want to really be sure I can make it right before I throw a lot of money down on yarn. I suggest starting pieces with the cheaper, higher weight yarns that are usually available.
Actually I spin yarn myself. Really need to get one of those little cards to measure width with though so I get the yarn right for whatever pattern I’m attempting. Thanks for reminding me that that is important. For me it won’t be more or less expensive necessarily. Just takes time to make, but so does any other yarn.
I agree with the other commenters - it's definitely an advanced pattern.
One other thing I want to point out is it's tagged with "chart" and the description says:
The pattern, in a diagram form, contains...
There's a chance there's no written pattern, so you'll want to familiarize yourself with crochet symbols and charts before attempting it.
Well caught! Are symbols in crochet universal? Or do they often differ per pattern?
Ehhhh "universal" would be a stretch, but they don't usually differ much per pattern. I'd say they're mostly standardized, but check the legend for your pattern in case the writer uses a nonstandard notation for something. Otherwise Google image search "crochet symbols".
To your original question, I wouldn't call this a beginner pattern but it is crochet, not knitting, so it's 1 stitch at a time. A determined and dedicated beginner could do it. These shawls look more complicated than they are.
My biggest concern for you is you said you spin your own yarn on a drop spindle? Usually in small quantities? This pattern is written for 1500+ yards of thin yarn. It also appears to be written with color changing yarn cakes in mind, so it probably won't call for color changes in the pattern. I don't spin at all but tbh that seems more daunting to me than working up the pattern.
Good luck! I love making shawls like this, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. I hope you enjoy the process if you attempt it.
They're mostly constant. Sometimes you'll see small stylistic differences, but the pattern author should give you a legend of the symbols. Personally, I like them since it's easier to know which stitch of the precious row to work into.