Love Letter is my third design using back loop only stitches for the background, but who’s counting? I just love the way they look. I guess you could say this is my love letter to them!

Love Letter is a fun asymmetrical shawl using back and front loop only stitches to create a lovely background for panels of lace formed with simple cross stitches. The name was inspired by these stitches which resemble the lines of an old-fashioned hand-written love letter signed off with x’s representing kisses.

The sample was made with fingering yarn and a 3.25 mm hook, however, the shawl can be made with any yarn and an appropriately sized hook. It is designed for those gorgeous, one-of-a-kind variegated skeins that fall into your stash but you have no idea what to do with.

The sample is 65 inches long along the top edge and 20 inches deep at the widest point (165 cm X 51 cm) after blocking.

Love Letter is crocheted in rows and worked from the tip across to the widest point and is designed to make the most use of a single skein of yarn and allow you to keep working until almost all of your yarn is used up. To this end the top and bottom edges are left unfinished. Of course, if you have two skeins so much the better! You could easily add an edging of your choice.

US crochet terms are used throughout the pattern. The equivalent UK terms are referenced the table of abbreviations.

The pattern does not include charts.

Acknowledgements: My heartfelt thanks to my fantastic team of pattern testers and reviewers: Carolyn, Emma, Monique, Pauline, Ruth and Sally.

I couldn’t have done it without you.