Tennyson’s poem “Maud” provoked a storm of protest from many of his admirers who were shocked by the morbidity and hysteria of the poem. This extravagant yet elegant square shawl exemplifies the Victorian Gothic aesthetic - magnificent in its opulence, and breathtaking in its simplicity. The traditional stitch pattern commonly referred to as “Alice Maud” appears in the Pyrenees Square Shawl from The Lady’s Assistant in Knitting, Netting and Crochet Work, vol. 3, by Mrs. Jane Gaugain, 1857. Sharon Miller believes it to be a Madeira/Azores motif which was adopted into Shetland and Scottish knitting, and is sometimes called “St. Andrew’s cross and diamond”. The stitch pattern commonly has zig-zag decrease lines in between the larger motifs - I have recreated an uncommon variant of this stitch pattern which includes “beads” in the zig-zags, based on photos of an antique piece.

The construction of my shawl pattern allows for different options: 1. the full square with center, frame, solid border, and lace edging. 2. the center and frame alone, with optional tassels for the corners. 3. the adventurous knitter will find other possibilities!

The center is knit flat, a narrow insertion is then joined around the edge. Edge stitches of the insertion are picked up to knit a solid border in the round, and finally a wide edging is joined to the outer edge. Lace patterns are charted only.

Yarn: “Whisper” 50% kid mohair/50% shantung silk, 50g/500m
Total meterage: 2700-2900m.
Main color (center square and solid border): center 110g/1050m, border 40g/400m
Contrast color (frame and edging): frame 20g/200m, edging 110g/1050m
Needles: 2,5 mm
Finished size: 180 x 180 cm

This pattern can also be knit in a single color.

“Whisper” yarn can be purchased from
http://www.greatbritishwool.nl/
and can be dyed to order on request.