Pretty intense beading, but not terribly complicated once you get started. Updated version 10/13/09 the latest version of this pattern includes both charted and English instructions and three sizes - small, medium and large/xl.
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I designed this shawl as I went along, so writing this
pattern took almost 3 months (then editing and proofing took another 3 months as I knit the second one!). I’d been having a real desire to do something peacock-y in terms of color for about year and did some spinning along those lines, but maybe this was what I was really going for all along? My “feathers” are quite stylized and if you look at a real peacock feather, the colors aren’t accurate at all. But I had fun, and you could really get creative with bead color placement, just make sure you buy enough to start with (but hey, beads are cheap). It looks good on almost any body type and accommodates a wide range of body sizes. You could do it in black yarn with silver beads for evening wear or try a blue or rose color way with complementing beads and turn the “feathers” into anemones, or skip the beads altogether—a kettle dyed yarn might work well for that.