Jinma is a triangular shawl with a lovely drape, worked from the top down. It features neat stocking stitch, a vertical lace insert down the back and is finished with a pretty lower border worked perpendicularly / at right angles, meaning no lengthy binding off!

A fairly simple pattern with memorable repeats designed to encourage beginner knitters to try some lace work and as a relaxing knit for more experienced knitters.

The design for Jinma (Gold Horse in the Chinese zodiac) was inspired by my lovely daughter. The floral lace insert echoes the gentle curves of the arum lily and the border features 5 petalled flowers, a nod to Jasmine, both lucky flowers for people born in the Year of the Horse.

I used 160g of 4 ply yarn, 85% merino and 15% nylon, in the lucky colours green, yellow and white but you could use any colour in 4 ply yarn. Solids and semi solids would particularly highlight the lacework but variegated yarns work well, too. Why not try a border in a complementary colour? I hope you have as much fun knitting this pattern as I did designing it. Tsai x
Please note: I will donate 10% of profits from this shawl to Samaritans, a UK based, suicide prevention non profit charity from 1st May. This organisation is accessible worldwide.

Professionally tech edited by James Bartley
Thank you to the fabulous test knitters: Teri Dow, Chris Knowler, Vicky Johnson-Phillips, Pamela Weaver, Claire Almond, Caroline Mott, Jayne Roper, Patricia Pollins.