When I was a wee girl I dreamed of being able to see wild African animals in their own habitat. Many years ago, I realised this dream by joining a safari from South Africa, across the border to Namibia, through the Caprivi Strip and on to Victoria Falls. It was an unforgettable and varied trip; the scenery was spectacular. You can imagine my delight when we came across a pair of young lions off in search of prey early one morning!

We slept in tents on this three week trip and much of the journey was through desert, as you would expect. What I did not expect was how bone chillingly cold the nights were!

So the seed for this shawl design was planted way back then, as I sat around the fire with my new friends, wishing I had something warm for my shoulders, and something warm to wrap myself in inside my sleeping bag in the night.

You will begin knitting this shawl at one corner with just a few stitches, and you’ll increase along one side only to create a generously large triangle that, when finished, will wrap you up warm to drive out that biting African desert chill. The simple lacework and stripes break up the sea of garter and the tassels add a gorgeous finishing touch.

You’ll use equal amounts of each of the two skeins of yarn to take advantage of the full yardage for optimum squish.

Supplies
•2 x 100g skeins of Yarnfloozy fingering weight (4 ply) yarn, 70% Merino / 20% Yak / 10% Nylon 400m / 437yds (sample knit in C1: Goldenrod and C2: Into the Fire)
• 4mm (US 6) knitting needles
• darning needle.

Gauge
20 sts x 40 rows in garter stitch.

Finished size
Approximately 112 x 113 cm / 44 x 44.5 in.