About

This shawl is inspired by the Titan Triggerfish and its beautiful pattern in the scales, the different colored tail, and the striped fins. The “scales and fins” are knit in brioche and the “tail” is represented by tassels that are optional to add to your shawl.
The shawl is cast on from the longest edge and with the continuously decreased short-rows, it gives a feeling of knitting faster and faster for every row.

For the main part of the shawl, there will be a shift in the brioche-knit and the brioche-purl to give it a textured look like scales. There will be a color change towards the “tail” where tassels are made at the end. After the main part, you pick up stitches at the cast-on edge in opposite ends to make the “fines” that will be wrapped around you. These are made identical to each other with the opportunity of making color-changes at your own initiative.

Size
One-size.
Length: 225 cm / 89 inches
Height: 45 cm / 18 inches

Needle
4 mm / US 6 circular needles minimum 80 cm / 32 inches long.

Gauge
Stockinette 10x10 cm / 4”x4”:
24 sts x 32 rows

Two-color brioche 10x10 cm / 4”x4”:
18 sts x 28 rows

Yarn
You will need:
5 different colors in fingering or sport weight yarn. You will need 500 meters / 540 yards of each color.

Alternative yarn option:

• 300 meters / 330 yards of 5 different colors for section 1+2 of the shawl (back piece) and
• 200 meters / 220 yards of 4 different colors for section 3+4 (side pieces) This allows you to choose one color scheme for section 1+2 and a drastic different one for section 3+4.

Color suggestion
For the sample of this pattern the following colors and order is used:

MC = White
CC1 = Black
CC2 = Grey
CC3 = Blue
CC4 = Yellow

Use this color guide to pick your own colors:
MC = Choose your lightest color as MC
CC1 = Choose your darkest color as CC1
CC2 = Choose a light color close to MC
CC3 = Choose a medium dark color close to CC1.
CC4 = Choose a color that pops and gives an interesting feature. You could also choose a color close to CC2 and hold it together with a strand of mohair.

Techniques
Two-color brioche knit
Knitting brioche two strands at a time video tutorial
Decreasing in brioche (brLsldec / brRsldec)
I-cord edge
Picking up sts video tutorial
Kitchener stitch (written instruction)

Abbreviations
st(s), CO, WS, RS, MC, CC, sl1, k1, p1, sl1yo, sl1wyif, sl1wyib, brk1, brp1, brLsldec, brRsldec, PM.

Notes
You will need 2 stitch markers and a tapestry needle.

Video instructions are included in the pattern as well as written instructions for Kitchener stitch.

Knitting brioche with two strands at a time (optional)
If you are experienced in knitting brioche and want to try knitting with two strands at a time, this pattern has video tutorials on how to do it. Knitting with two strands and only knitting every row once is not only a fun technique but makes the shawl knit up much faster.