Hyssop Shawl in Berroco Maya and Mixer - Downloadable PDF

Hyssop Shawl by Emily Nora O'Neil – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Hyssop Shawl is an elegant, elongated knitted shawl designed by Emily Nora O'Neil and published by Berroco as part of Booklet #373. This downloadable PDF pattern is rated Easy, making it an ideal project for beginner and confident beginner knitters who want to create a sophisticated, wearable accessory without navigating complex stitch patterns. The finished shawl has a graceful tapered shape — wide at one end and narrow at the other — giving it a distinctive asymmetrical silhouette that drapes beautifully as a wrap or scarf.

Finished Dimensions

The completed Hyssop Shawl is worked in a single size with the following finished measurements:

• Width at wide end: approximately 30 inches
• Total length: approximately 80 inches
• Width at narrow end: approximately 6 inches

This generous length makes it versatile enough to wear wrapped around the shoulders, looped as a scarf, or draped as a lightweight shawlette.

Yarns and Materials

The pattern calls for two Berroco yarns used together to create a subtle two-tone color effect that runs the full length of the shawl:

• Berroco Maya – 8 hanks (50 grams each) in colorway #5635 Tierra, used as the Main Color (MC)
• Berroco Mixer – 3 hanks (50 grams each) in colorway #8103 Prosecco, used as the Contrast Color (CC)

Berroco Maya is a DK-weight yarn, and the pattern is classified under the DK weight category. The two yarns run side by side throughout the shawl, each occupying a designated section of the fabric, with clean color transitions managed through a specific yarn-changing technique.

The only tools required are straight knitting needles in size 8 (5.00 mm), or the size needed to achieve gauge, along with a single stitch marker.

Gauge

Because the two yarns have slightly different gauges, knitters should check gauge separately for each:

• Berroco Maya (MC): 20 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches in Garter Stitch
• Berroco Mixer (CC): 22 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches in Garter Stitch

This difference in stitch gauge between the two yarns is intentional and contributes to the shawl's tapered shaping and drape. As always with Berroco patterns, taking time to check gauge before casting on is strongly recommended.

Techniques and Construction

The Hyssop Shawl is worked flat on straight needles from one end to the other, beginning at the wide end and tapering to the narrow point. Construction is straightforward and relies on a small set of beginner-friendly techniques:

• Long-tail cast-on: The shawl begins with a long-tail cast-on, casting on 33 stitches with the Contrast Color (CC) and then 120 stitches with the Main Color (MC) for a total of 153 stitches.
• Garter stitch: The entire shawl is worked in Garter Stitch — knitting every row — in both the MC and CC sections. Garter stitch is one of the most beginner-friendly textures in knitting, creating a squishy, reversible fabric with a characteristic ridged appearance.
• Two-color striped sections: A stitch marker separates the CC section (the narrow border) from the MC section (the main body) throughout. Each yarn is worked only in its own section on every row, creating two parallel color columns rather than traditional stripes.
• Yarn changing technique: The pattern includes specific instructions for changing yarns cleanly on both right-side and wrong-side rows. On RS rows, the old yarn is held to the left and the new yarn is picked up