Inspired by Zoë Warren, First Officer of the ‘Serenity’ in Joss Whedon’s cult space-western ‘Firefly’. On the lawless and near barren frontier planets that this renegade crew frequent, I envisage Zoë favouring practical clothing in earthy, camouflage tones,. I therefore immediately thought of a kerchief/ scarf, which could simultaneously be used for warmth, disguise and as protection in the dusty ‘Wild West’. Texture and geometric shaping, evocative of Central American folk art has been used in deference to Zoë’s rustic sensibilities, giving both decoration and knitting interest.

Building on the basic triangular top-down shawl, this garment is knit from a provisional cast-on, in one-piece, back and forth, with additional ‘triangles’ worked as ‘pick-up’ rows to extend the span without adding depth. It has a ribbed cable and eyelet top band, tessellating diamond panels of twisted stitches over the main body and an optional spiky fringe. Instructions are charted with extensive diagrams and some written instructions as to the placement of charts. This pattern is rated as moderately difficult, requiring some concentration to navigate the arrangement of the pick-up row panels.

Daunted by Zoe? Try the simplified Zoe-lite instead!

MATERIALS
Long (120cm) 4mm circular needles or as required to achieve the tension
150g/ 500m 5ply yarn – I recommend Easyknits’ Big Boy in Sunstorm (available from easyknits.co.uk). It is just possible (with tighter tension on 3.75mm needle) to knit the non-fringed version of this kerchief from 100g/ 400m
13 stitch markers (The placement of 4st markers is given in the instructions. The remaining 7 are optional but useful in marking the edge of chart repeats/ breaks in the chart)
Cable needle
2.5cm/ 1” buttons (optional – see finishing instructions)

TENSION
24st x 32r = 10cm/ 4 inches over twisted st diamond (see Chart 4iv – Right Repeat) after blocking

DIMENSIONS
178cm (70”) span by 38cm (15”) deep