This sequel to the Catching a Mermaid Shawl will take you on another trip under the sea - perfect for beach knitting, or wherever summer takes you. And if you love the mermaid theme, The Mermaids’ Garden Shawl is the third in the series :slightly_smiling_face:

Worked with two colors of fingering/ sock yarn, this crescent-shaped shawl keeps things fun, switching stitch patterns every few inches. The accompanying story takes you on a journey with our mermaid to go along with the pattern.

Originally designed for a mystery knitalong, this shawl is now available as a standard pattern, but some of the MKAL fun remains. You’ll get the complete pattern and the story that goes along with it, plus two photo tutorials for some of the stitches. They’re not hard to learn; it’s just nicer to have a lot of pictures, as if you had a knitting friend sitting with you to demonstrate. Plus, the chat threads from the MKAL can still be found in the Softyarn Designs group here. So you can drop in and see the discussion and the pictures of other knitters’ WIPs and finished shawls.

The beginning section of this pattern was updated in January 2019 to make it stretchier and easier to block. Working from the new instructions, the beginning of your shawl will look slightly different than most of those posted in the MKAL threads.

Finished dimensions
Approximately 72” x 18” (180 x 45 cm)

Difficulty level
This is an intermediate-level pattern. The stitch patterns are all described row by row, with additional tips and pictures where helpful. A couple of the stitch patterns involve yarn overs. These are not complicated lace patterns where you have to pay attention every second, but I wouldn’t recommend it for knitting in the dark at the movies, either. With the yarn-over stitches, as with the others, you will find that you catch on very quickly to the pattern and after not too long, you won’t have to look down at the instructions very often.

Yarn selection
The shawl calls for two colorways of fingering/ sock yarn, about 400 yards per skein. This pattern is a collaboration with Pine and Sparrow Fiber Co. and she prepared a couple of yarn pairings specifically for the MKAL, which may still be available in stock or by special order. I was swooning over the colors for the sample (Wendigo/Les Fauves) but there are two other gorgeous color combos dyed with this pattern in mind: Siren/ Atlantis and Scylla/ Kelpie. (See Pine & Sparrow yarn here.
If you are considering other yarns to use - Much of the visual interest of this shawl comes from the stitch patterns. It will look best with a yarn that has nice stitch definition (don’t use boucle, eyelash, or very fuzzy yarn). A smooth wool, a sock yarn, or many fiber blends will work well.
The pattern was designed with two colorways in mind: one tonal or semisolid, and a coordinating variegated or handpaint. It can certainly work with a single colorway or a gradient if you prefer.

Pattern support
Designer email is provided in the pattern if you run into any problems or questions.