After investigating my previous spiderweb parasol, I decided on something a bit more useful. I also noticed that the spokes are flexible and bent easily so to get a more dome shape I could make the outer circumference of the parasol smaller than the umbrella. After playing around a bit I decided with the 8 posts I would want about 12.5 to 13 between them. I also knew that I needed each edge of a triangle to still measure the length of the spokes which was 23 inches.
Next I took about 1 in ribbon ($2) and sewed two basting stitches down the middle in order to gather it. This was a bit of a process but worth it. one spool was enough to go around once but I need another to finish off the second round. I'm thinking about using wider ribbon to sew around the bottom. So I would need two more spools of ribbon.
The base for the parasol is a $5 umbrella from walmart which I need to paint the handle white. So far this parasol might cost a total of $16 I've found one on e-bay for about $12 but there are quite a few ones for $30 or so.