This knitted shawl starts with a provisional cast-on and combines the undulating waves of the Mermaid Mesh pattern from Barbara Walker with a lacy chevron pattern on either end. Using a provisional cast on allows the two end sections to be worked in opposite directions for symmetry.

I chose the name Muirin (pronounced MIR-een, from the Irish, meaning “born of the sea”) not only for the Mermaid Mesh pattern in the center, but for the chevron pattern that reminds me of fish-(or mermaid) tails.

This pattern was originally accepted for publication in Sock Report vol.2, which never made it to publication, and the sample was knit in a beautiful hand-dyed sock yarn from Indigo Moon Yarns on Gabriola Island, BC, Canada (www.IndigoMoonYarns.com). When designing the pattern I also worked a smaller sample in Madelinetosh Merino Light in the “Baltic” colorway, which was also stunning.

The pattern has charted directions. Length can be adjusted by adding or taking away chart repeats, and width can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the
number of stitches.