Mermaid’s Escape

This design was created because I had a full bag (10 skeins) of Noro Silk Garden Lite in my stash. I wanted to use as much as possible in a single project and I wanted to showcase the color shifts that Noro yarns are famous for. I knew something complex would get lost in the colors, so I went with a simple stitch pattern, worked on the bias for interest and to add drape.

As I was working on it, I was reminded of a tropical island: the cool blues and greens of the ocean, the soft white sands, the faded beige of driftwood, the golden splash of rum, and a black hearted pirate. Maybe I've been watching too many Pirates of the Caribbean movies or maybe I need a vacation, but those were the images that danced through my head as the yarn colors shifted in my hands. It also occurred to me that if you were a mermaid, you could easily knit this because the pattern is extremely easy to memorize. You won't need to worry about your paper pattern getting soggy, or water getting into your iPad or computer (if you were one of the fortunate few mermaids who had reliable Internet access) every time you have to dive underwater because you won't need to refer to the pattern while you're knitting it.

For those of us with legs instead of a flippers, it's a great design to knit on the go. It's easy to knit while you're visiting with friends, watching your kids play soccer, waiting in the after school pick-up-line, or watching The Walking Dead with your zombie loving husband.

As it turns out, this is more of a recipe than a pattern, but you can use it to make a wrap, a scarf, a blanket, a placemat, or anything else you can come up with that's generally square or rectangular in shape. You can use any weight of yarn you like from lace weight to super bulky, and you don't have to use a slow striping yarn like Noro either. You could work it in a multicolored variegated yarn, a tonal solid, or make your own stripes and do some stash busting at the same time. Have fun, go crazy!

Finished Size: My wrap measures approximately 23 inches x 76 inches after washing and smoothing out to dry. Finished size is highly adjustable.

Gauge: 20 stitches over 4 inches in pattern stitch. Gauge is not crucial to fit in this design.

Shown in Noro Silk Garden Lite in color 2043, 10 skeins.  Knit on US 5’s (3.75mm)

$6.00