The yarn for this shawl is a special color way that was made for Plymouth Harbor Knits yarn shop in Plymouth, MA. The yarn shop owner and I know each other through our local knitting guild. She asked me to design a shawl with this yarn in the winter. I had just finished working out the design details and had about 15 inches on the needles when people started staying home due to the recent virus outbreak. The shop owner and I decided to offer this shawl as a knit along with weekly zoom meetings. I was able to finish the shawl with rushed help from my tech editor in 8 days.

This turned out to be a perfect challenge for me, since I am continually inspired by nature, and especially water, for my designs. The yarn is a beautiful blue with variations that resemble Plymouth Harbor as the light changes the surface color. I wanted the design to be simple to highlight the yarn. I was also challenged to complete the pattern with one skein and to make it look good on both sides. Garter stitch was a natural choice! Then, to add texture, length and interest, I used a simple mesh lace stitch. The garter and lace stitches work together to showcase the beautiful colors in the yarn.

I wanted a structure that was light and breezy like a walk on the beach. I alternated the garter and lace stitches in stripes that follow a Fibonacci numbering sequence. The Picot bind off edge adds another element of texture and interest resulting in a beautiful shawl.