The Bay Panel Shawl is an eye-catching, statement wardrobe piece. It incorporates alternating panels of linen stitch, brioche stitch and garter stitch, with a moss stitch border.

The dimensions of the garment allow for it to be worn either as a shawl, or as a cuddly scarf. It can also be worn in the reverse, thus giving two options for the dominant colour.

The shawl is designed to allow for the use of yarns from different sources and of different compositions and is intended to allow each knitter to add their own creativity into the colour scheme.

Four different yarns are needed as explained below. Feel free to mix yarns of different fibre types and from different suppliers than the example yarns given.

1. Yarn 1 (approximate yardage 540m)

Choose a soft and cosy 8 ply merino yarn recommended for 4mm (US size 6) needles. The pale coloured yarn used in the photographed shawl is Touch Yarns Pure Merino 8ply, approximately 100 m per 50 g (shade 455 ‘Oatmeal’).

1. Yarn 2 (approximate yardage 120m)

Choose a 4ply yarn that when held together as two strands has a similar gauge to that of Yarn 1. Note that the gauge only needs to be approximately similar, as the pattern is reasonably forgiving to some variation in gauge. The dark coloured yarn used in the photographed shawl is Mrs Peacock Yarns Serpentine 4ply 100% Merino, 338 m per 100 g (colourway ‘Eclipse’).

1. Yarn 3 (approximate yardage 500m)

Choose a 4ply yarn. Preferably the yarn will have a narrow and smooth (rather than ‘fluffy’) construction to allow for the contrasting stitches at the back of the brioche panel to show through on the right side of the shawl. The terracotta coloured yarn used in the photographed shawl is Prosper Yarn Chuffed 90/10 Merino/Linen 4ply (colourway ‘Hoodoo’), approximately 366 m per 100 g,

1. Yarn 4 (approximate yardage 200m)

Choose a yarn that is half the weight of Yarn 1 and the same colour as Yarn 1. The pale coloured yarn used in the photographed shawl is Touch Yarns Pure Merino 4ply, approximately 225 m per 50 g, (shade 455 ‘Oatmeal’).

Note also that the stockinette gauge provided in the pattern details is intended only as an approximate guide for choosing yarns (either to be worked singularly or as the overall gauge when held together). The shawl is forgiving to some variation in yarn gauge and is not, in fact, worked in stockinette.

The shawl is intended for intermediate knitters.

The reference to “Panel” in the shawl’s name reflects that one of the inspirations for its design came from Tukutuku panels, a traditional Māori art form undertaken by women and used for decorating the interior of meeting houses. The name also refers to the “The Bay” or the Hawkes Bay (New Zealand), where a large proportion of the test knit shown in the photos was completed.