My mom taught me to knit when I was 10 years old. She learned to knit from her mother when she was a child, growing up in Vadodara, a city and center of education, arts, and culture in India. The history of how my grandmother learned to knit is lost – I had never thought to ask her until it was too late – but we know that knitting was brought to India by European nuns and missionaries in the late 19th century and somehow my grandmother and all her sisters grew up knitting. When I look at my grandmother’s work, I can see that though the stitch and colorwork patterns were certainly rooted in European influence, she would inject some of her culture through color choice, her favorite combinations being auspicious reds and yellows. The Nine Nights shawl is inspired by the Indian festive season, which, for my family, starts with Navratri. Navratri is a festival that spans over 9 nights, and each evening the community gathers for puja and folk dance. Being chilly at this time of year – and often clad in short-sleeved, cropped blouses – I always wanted to wrap myself up in a cozy knitted shawl rather than my standard winter puffy coat. But I found that though completely beautiful, my lace and cabled shawls inspired by traditional European and Japanese designs didn’t quite do the trick. The Nine Nights shawl is my aim to fill that gap in my wardrobe, to blend knitting with Indian aesthetic. It is fueled by mosaic design, which always reminded me of a classic Indian fabric art form, Bandhani. Bandhani is created through a process of tie-dying. Traditionally, white fabric, usually silk or cotton, is puckered up at points and the puckers are wrapped with cotton thread to block the dye at those points. The fabric is then dyed, and the thread removed to reveal undyed patterns of dots. Bandhani is an ancient Indian art and can be found in fashion throughout the subcontinent. The designs are specific to different regions. My family is from Gujarat, where Bandhani designs contain geometric lines and shapes, as well as organic themes of plants, animals, and people. Areas of negative space are filled with grids of undyed dots which remind me of the dots of contrast color that often punctuate mosaic design. I always loved that a stylish outfit of a sophisticated adult could carry whimsical elephant and doll motifs. The Nine Nights Shawl is my attempt to carry on my grandmother’s legacy, finding ways to combine traditions in knitting with my own identity and life experiences. I may not know how her knitting journey started, but I can certainly forge the path my knitting journey takes me.

Finished Measurements
Approx 82” 208 cm wingspan and 41” 104 cm at deepest point

Yarn
Dreamy by Anzula Yarns (75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, 10% Silk; 114 g / 385 yds 352 m)
• 4 skeins in Riot (MC)
• 1 skein in Poppy (CC1)
• 2 skeins in Au Natural (CC2)
OR in fingering weight yarn:
1355 yd 1239 m of MC, 245 yd 268 m of CC1, and 546 yd 499 m of CC2

Needles
One each 40” 100 cm circ in sizes US 3 and 4 3.25 and 3.5 mm Or size to obtain gauge

Notions
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Blocking mats, pins and wires

Gauge
23 sts and 55 rows = 4” 10 cm in Elephant mosaic with larger needles, after blocking.