In February of 1692, two young girls started acting strangely. They lived in Salem, Massachusetts and their fits— supposedly of supernatural origin— sparked what later became known as the Salem Witch Trials although it stretched more towns than just the one. Between 1692 and 1693 the accusations and trials resulted in the hanging deaths of 19 men and women, death by pressing of one man, deaths in prison of at least 7 people, and the imprisonment of a multitude of others— including one 4 year old girl.

It’s an event in American history that both fascinates and horrifies us. Highly religious people driven to do terrible things to their friends and neighbors through fear, greed, delusion, or a combination of all three. Its shadow follows us today and is often reflected in contemporary “witch hunts”.

While reading about the history of the Salem Witch Trials, I designed this shawl. It’s a triangle, top down shawl with a simple lace broken by double crochet sections. The construction is straightforward and fairly easy to memorize. It would be a great introductory project for those wanting to try their hand at lace crochet.

It is a completely written out (text) pattern as I don’t have the computer program to write out lace crochet charts. However the pattern has been tested for me!

The yarn I chose shifts from black to grey to white, which I feel is rather appropriate given the complex nature of the events which inspired this pattern. However a solid color would look equally stunning.

If you are interested in reading more about the Salem Witch Trials, I suggest some of these books:

The Salem Witch Trials Reader by Francis Hill

A Delusion of Satan by Francis Hill

The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff

The Crucible by Arthur Miller (A fictional account, but still a well written and interesting read!)

Special thanks to my wonderful pattern tester!

As always, if you have any problems, spot any errors or have any other general comments, please feel free to message me here on Ravelry, through my website, or contact me via email: yarnpaint@gmail.com (I normally reply within a day unless something prevents me from checking my computer!)