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.
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.
Don’t worry. I can do thin yarn with colour changes. Also wool is really easy to splice. I wouldn’t technically need to do it all in one go, though that would obviously be preferable. After all the warnings it definitely won’t be my first crochet project, so I still have time to get the yarn ready ;)
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.