The paisley, a simple, mango shape. I have been playing with the idea of making paisley motifs and then attaching them as an edging. Here in this ‘manga maalai shawl’, we will attempt to build our little ‘mangoes’ (paisley) along one edge of our shawl so we can avoid the tedious joins and trailing threads of motifs. I was pleasantly surprised with the information Google had on paisley and the word ‘mango’. The English word “mango” (plural “mangoes” or “mangos”) originated from the Malayalam word māṅga or Tamil māṅgai or māṅga (colloquial) from the Dravidian root word for the same via Portuguese (also manga). The word’s first recorded attestation in a European language was a text by Ludovico di Varthema in Italian in 1510, as manga ; the first recorded occurrences in languages such as French and post-classical Latin appear to be translations from this Italian text. The origin of the “-o” ending in English is unclear. In Tamil Nadu, the manga maalai (mango necklace) with matching earrings is a traditional feature of bharathanatyam dance.

And with the plethora of mangoes this time of the year in Mumbai, guess I just had to get this done now :)

The designer used 3-ply light fingering, but it has been tested with several other weight yarns. Gauge has been given when applicable/different.

This pattern has been tested using :
a)3-ply light fingering acrylic ; 50 gms/165 yds ; 4 mm ( US 6, G) crochet hook ;

b)Lion Brand Sock-Ease ; 398 yds ; 4.25 mm (G) crochet hook ;
Comments : Pictures and hcart were helpful, esp for us visual people. Some pics could be omitted to cut length of instructions. Took about 15 hrs total.
Gauge : 1 5-ch x 2 rows = 1” x 1” (unblocked w/ 10 paisleys per side + center paisley it was 45” (top) x 25” (sides); blocked = 60” x 33.9”)
Skill level by tester : Intermediate, mostly because of the paisley stitching, but also because stitches/chains need to be very uniform.

c) Ella Rae Lace Merino DK ; 302 yds , US H / 5 mm crochet hook ;
Comments : Photos, charts, illustrations good. Used charts not photos - worked from written pattern. Took 14 hrs total, 12 for making project and rest for blocking (I pinned all the paisleys).
Gauge : post-blocking: body of shawl, 3 pattern repeats = 4”, 6 rows (in pattern) = 3”; paisley motif = 3” long x 2” wide
Skill level by tester : Intermediate

d) Premier yarns, Serenity Garden ; 130 gms ; 5 mm (H) crochet hook ;
Comments : Didn’t use the photos, but they are very detailed. Pattern is well written. All techniques and abbreviations are well explained. Took 4-6 hrs to complete.
Skill level by tester : Advanced beginner to intermediate. The stitches aren’t difficult but working the paisley could be too much for a beginner.