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Paired Patterns: Zenith & Nadir

Zenith and Nadir were designed together, to be a reflection of opposites. I purposefully made them both with the same yarn base and similar colourways to show that one starting point can be turned into two very different things under different circumstances.

Nadir
The lowest or most unsuccessful point in a situation.

An asymmetrical triangle. A deep, saturated teal. Simple, familiar, repetitive stitches, sitting at odds with each other. Yarn held double for a faster, plumper knit. No fancy techniques, no additional notions, no complicated instructions.

Nadir is a pattern you can reach for at your lowest point - when your knitting mojo has left the building, when your life insists that your focus is elsewhere, when the only way is up.

Once completed you’ll have acknowledged life’s sharp edges and dark recesses, and channeled them into a thing of comfort that draws you close and holds you warmly as you take steps up and out to clearer, sunnier times.

Sizing

Nadir is a fully reversible, scalene triangle shaped shawl.
Instructions are given for two sizes: medium and large. The size is easily adjustable to the amount of yarn you have and instructions for this are included.

Medium: 52” / 132cm wingspan, 23.5” / 60cm height
Large: 63” / 160cm wingspan, 28” / 71cm height

Stitches

knit, purl, knit front and back, slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front

Other Techniques

binding off
blocking
working with yarn held double

Sample Details

Size: medium
Yarn: Black Elephant Merino Singles in Tranquility
Amount used: 707m

Accessibility

Nadir includes two versions of the pattern: the main version, and a second version designed for low vision and screen reader users.

Both versions of the pattern are colour blind friendly.

The accessible version of the pattern has:

• 24 point sans-serif font (Arial) throughout
• Fully saturated black text on white background
• Single column layout
• Left-aligned text
• No italics
• No header or footer – just page numbers (bottom left)
• Consistent use of heading tags for easy navigation
• Internal links to aid navigation
• All instructions written out in text without reliance on diagrams or charts
• All words written out in full (i.e. no abbreviations)
• No bulleted lists
• No tables
• Tested with screen readers

You can read full details here: Accessible Patterns