Whakahoahoa Shawl

The Whakahoahoa Shawl is a symbol of friendship. This design was commissioned by Eylul Kilim, a local yarn shop in Osaka that I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to not only form a relationship with, but also a friendship with the owner, Yuri Kojima. Since moving to Osaka, Yuri has demonstrated the meaning of friendship again and again, welcoming me and my husband into her family, providing assistance, and feeding me cookies and tea whenever I visit her shop. Being able to design a pattern for her shop’s 5th year anniversary is small payment in return.

This shawl is knit side-to-side, from tip to tip, in four main sections: the set-up, the increase, the decrease and then the finishing. The design features a simple diamond motif that is easy to memorize and even easier to knit. The simplicity of the stitch pattern lends itself perfectly to highlighting a beautiful skein of vareigated yarn.