Crocheting a Lace Shawl

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  A handmade shawl is versatile and elegant.George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images
  
  Choose a yarn color in sport or baby weight for your shawl. Keep in mind what outfits you might want to wear it with when choosing your color. Black or creamy white always suit lace crocheting.
  
  
• 2). Determine what length you want your shawl to be. Six feet is a standard length that will allow you to wrap the shawl while still having enough to drape at the sides.
  
  
• 3). Chain 160 stitches. Measure the length against your body and make sure it's what you want. Chain more or pull out some stitches to achieve the length you want. Add or subtract stitches in multiples of three if you want to change the length.
  
  
• 4). Double crochet in fifth chain from hook for your first row. Skip the next two chain stitches. Then work a V stitch all in the next chain stitch, which is one double crochet, one chain and a second double crochet. To complete the row, skip the next two chain stitches and V stitch in the next chain. Repeat until you have two chain stitches left. Skip one and double crochet in the last. You should have 51 V stitches in the row. The name of the stitch describes its shape.
  
  
• 5). Chain three stitches to turn your work to the second row. Work a V stitch only into each chain-1 stitch, which is the middle stitch of each V stitch in the previous row. Double crochet in the top of the turning stitch at the end of the row to turn to the next row.
  
  
• 6). Continue for 13 to 15 rows until you are satisfied with the width.
  
  
• 7). Crochet a border around all edges by single crocheting in each stitch across all edges, making sure to sew three single crochets at each corner to make the turn. When you have completed the fourth edge, slip stitch the final stitch to your first border stitch.