If you have a couple skeins of hand-dyed or gradient cake yarns in your stash and you don’t know what to do with them, this shawl is the perfect project!  Make your own two-color boomerang shawl with this free crochet shawl pattern and video tutorial.

The Double Gradient Boomerang Shawl was originally designed as a knitting pattern, using two gradient cake yarns striped together.  It quickly became one of my more popular knitting patterns, with the unique look created by the double gradient effect.

I’ve been wanting to make a crochet version for years, and when Carla from Purple Lamb Fiber Arts gifted me some of her hand-dyed sock yarn, I decided this was the perfect yarn for a crocheted Double Gradient shawl.  

Instead of gradient cakes, I combined a tonal purple yarn with a multicolored / variegated color way, and they look lovely together!

What is a boomerang shawl?

A boomerang shawl is just that, a shawl shaped like a boomerang.  It is asymmetrical, meaning the point of the shawl is not centered, but offset to one side.  It is also slightly curved so that it wraps around the wearer nicely.  This free crochet pattern will help you crochet your own boomerang shawl.

How much yarn do I need to crochet a shawl?

I recommend having at least 200 grams / 7 ounces of yarn if you are wanting to crochet a shawl.  With this easy pattern, that amount of yarn will produce a shawl that is long enough to wrap around the neck and shoulders with the point of the shawl in the front, while still being small enough to be worn more like a scarf.  However, if you prefer a larger shawl, more yarn will be needed.

My shawl used just under 200 grams / 7 ounces of #1 Superfine / Fingering / Sock weight yarn, and measures 64” (163 cm) long (across the “wingspan” or neck edge from end to end) and 15.5” (40 cm) deep at the widest point (from point of shawl up to neck edge).  I think this is a good size for a shawl, and recommend about 200 grams as a minimum amount of yarn required for this project.

Choosing Colors for your Crochet Shawl

I used two coordinating hand-dyed yarns for this project, one tonal / semisolid color, and one variegated multicolored yarn.  The multicolored yarn has a touch of the same purple color that matches the tonal yarn, but the yarns you combine don’t have to match!  

You can combine any two solid colored yarns that you like together, a solid with a variegated, a solid with a gradient yarn, or even two gradient yarns, as I did with the knitted version of my Double Gradient Boomerang Shawl.

If you prefer the gradient effect shown in the knit version of this shawl, you can achieve a very similar look with your crocheted shawl by just combining two gradient cake yarns together.  

Any yarns you like of the same yarn weight (thickness) can be used together in this crochet shawl.  (Learn more about the Standard Yarn Weight System here.)  Just keep in mind that thicker yarns will produce thicker stripes.  

My shawl is made in #1 Superfine / Fingering / Sock weight yarn, so the stripes are thinner, whereas a #4 Medium / Worsted weight yarn would produce thicker stripes, as well as a thicker fabric.

If you like, you could also choose to make your shawl crochet project in one yarn only instead of using two colors with stripes as shown in the photographs.

Can I crochet a shawl if I am a beginner?

This shawl pattern is a beginner-friendly project, using basic crochet stitches and simple techniques.  You don’t even have to check your gauge if you don’t want to!

You will need to know how to read a pattern, work back and forth in rows, count your stitches and rows, increase, and decrease.  Most of the shawl is made in the half-double crochet stitch.  If you can do all of those techniques, you can make this shawl.

Let’s get started!

Double Gradient Boomerang Shawl Crochet Pattern

by Yay For Yarn

Project Level: Basic

Sizing:

Finished size and gauge will vary depending on your yarn and hook size choices. My shawl measured 64” (163 cm) long (across the “wingspan” or neck edge from end to end) and 15.5” (40 cm) deep at the widest point (from point of shawl up to neck edge). 

The gauge on my shawl was 22 hdc sts in 4” (10 cm), and 20 hdc rows in 4” (10 cm).

Note: A boomerang shawl is asymmetrical, meaning the point of the shawl will be off center.

Yarn:

This pattern is designed for any yarn, at any gauge.  Choose two yarns of the same weight (thickness).  I used two hand-dyed #1 Superfine / Fingering Weight yarns from Purple Lamb Fiber Arts.

• At least 100g / 3.5 oz yarn in Color A (I used Purple Lamb Fiber Arts’ Eggplant colorway, dyed on the Sock Perfection yarn base, which contains 450 yards per 100g skein.)
• At least 100g / 3.5 oz yarn in Color B (I used Purple Lamb Fiber Arts’ Bouquet colorway, dyed on the Sock Perfection yarn base, which contains 450 yards per 100g skein.)

You Will Also ​​​​​Need:

• Crochet Hook in a size appropriate for the yarn you are using.  I recommend a size or two larger than what is recommended on your yarn label.  I used a US Size E / 3.5 mm crochet hook with my #1 Superfine yarn.  Try out a couple different hook sizes, and see which one produces the drape and texture you want in your fabric with the yarn you are using.
• Scissors
• Ruler or Measuring Tape
• Yarn Needle or Blunt Tapestry Needle

Abbreviations:

ea: each

nxt: next

st(s): stitch(es)

sk: skip

ch: chain

sc: single crochet

hdc: half-double crochet

dc: double crochet

dc2tog: double crochet 2 stitches together

Crochet Boomerang Shawl Instructions

Note: The turning chain at the beginning of each row is not counted as a stitch.

We will be working alternating stripes, with two rows in each color.  The yarn is carried along one side edge of the work, so we don’t have to cut the yarn and weave in the yarn tails on every stripe.  

Row 1:  With Color A, ch 5. Sk 1st ch, sc in ea of nxt 4 chs. <4 sts>

Row 2:  Ch 2, turn.  (Dc, 2 hdc) in first st of row.  Hdc in nxt st.  Dc2tog.  <5 sts>

Row 3: Ch 2, turn.  Dc2tog in first 2 sts of row.  Hdc in nxt 2 sts, (2 hdc, dc) in last st. <6 sts>  Change to Color B.

Note: You will need to carry the unused color yarn up the side edge of the work, when you ch 2 at the beginning of each even-numbered row (at the edge where the unused color of yarn is coming from). To do this, reach under your unused color yarn with your hook as you ‘grab’ the current color yarn to yarn over and make the first chain stitch, then make the second chain stitch as normal.

Row 4:  Ch 2, turn.  (Dc, 2 hdc) in first st of row.  Hdc in ea st across to last 2 sts, Dc2tog in last 2 sts. <1 st increased>

Row 5: Ch 2, turn.  Dc2tog in first 2 sts of row.  Hdc in ea st across to last st, (2 hdc, dc) in last st.  <1 st increased>

Rows 6-7: Change to Color A.  Repeat Rows 4-5.

Rows 8-9: Change to Color B.  Repeat Rows 4-5.

Repeat Rows 6-9 till desired size is reached.  Repeat Rows 6-7 once more.

Row 10: Turn, and sc evenly across the top edge of the shawl (this is the longest side of the ‘triangle’, the edge you have been carrying the yarn along).  I recommend working 5 sc sts into the end of each stripe.  Tie off, weave in ends.

To Block:

(video tutorial on blocking here)

For natural fibers, pin project out on foam blocking mats. Spray with water until fully saturated, allow to dry.

OR

For synthetic fibers, pin project out on an ironing board or several layers of towels. Hold a steaming iron 2-3” over the surface of the fabric, making sure all of the fabric is penetrated by the steam. Allow to cool / dry.

Enjoy your finished shawl!

This pattern is intended for your personal use only. You may not share it, copy it, sell it, give it away, or mass-produce the finished product. However, you may sell the finished items on a small scale, as long as you convey in your item description that you used a Yay For Yarn pattern.

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