Welcome to Stacey Namaste Designs. This shawl is part of my Finding Joy series. ”Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down the extraordinary moments.” ~Brené Brown. This series was inspired in order to help us recognize the joy in the little things and ordinary moments that too often pass us by.

This asymmetrical fringed triangle shawl is designed to provide the maker agency, choice, and variation - you can use any yarns, any size, any color schemes. For tips on styling, visit this site: 10 ways to style an asymmetrical shawl

This design, the Marie Laveau Shawl, was inspired by a short getaway to New Orleans in which I had several adventures on historical tours, learning the true story underneath all of the myths and tall tales about Marie Laveau. Marie Laveau, often called “The Voodoo Queen,” was actually a successful nurse and herbalist. Uncovering the truth about Marie Laveau, I was inspired to knit a colorful scarf in reds and purples, signifying the “blood” of the voodoo magic lore along with purple, representing royalty and “The Voodoo Queen.” Being in New Orleans was an experience blending fascination, history, culture, music, cuisine, beauty, and heartbreak. The wonder of short getaways like the one my husband and I took right before Thanksgiving provided the “joy fuel” needed to make it through the demanding holidays. This unique design includes a link-looking stitch and a loose and open knit stitch, with fringe added for flair. The links represent the close ties as a healer to her community, and the open stitches represent the openness she had to many community members from all walks of life, ethnicities, classes, and religions.

The photographed example uses two separate yarns. I suggest you use a color variegated yarn and choose one of the colors from the mix for the solid yarn part of the shawl. Feel free to use less or more and make a smaller or larger shawl. The rose-red-purple yarn is an extra fine merino (fingering weight) from Ella Rae, color 142. I used 100 g, all of the skein. I also used Winter Glow by Hobbii, in color Purple Plum (38). Winter Glow is a worsted weight yarn that comes in a 100g skein. I used about 50g for this shawl. I used needle sizes 4, 7, 9, and 11 to make the shawl.