Upolu Shawl

Upolu where Robert Louis Stevenson resided at the end of his life is one of the smallest islands of Samoa, in the South Pacific. Lost in the middle of the ocean Upolu is a beautiful island, full of charm, adventure and history. I thought of it when I created this shawl for a friend. The delicate blue, pink and violet of the yarn used reminded me the colour of the early sunset over the Pacific, when the light appears over the white foam of the sea, after a dark night.

Upolu starts at the neck with a garter tab cast on. It unfolds outward in a circular shape, using a technique adapted from Elizabeth Zimmerman. The knitting mixes lace, garter stitch and mesh. Finally it is edged with a perpendicular lace border, which is joined as you go.