For some in Maine, you are either a Mainer, meaning you were born here (and preferably your family has done so several generations back) or you are “From Away.” Originally from the West Coast, I’m certainly From Away, though I’ve lived in Maine for over a decade now, and I’ve come to love my home of choice, or wahlheimat as the Germans so succinctly put it.

While browsing at my local yarn shop, I came upon these three colors piled together in a cubby and thought- what perfect New England colors for summer! When I got it home and placed my purchase next to some Moxie packaging, I realized that it was perfect Maine summer colors. And so, inspired by the colors of Moxie soda, the official soft drink of Maine, the Moxie shawl is the perfect knit to both make and wear at the beach – whether your beach is in Maine or lands beyond.

Garter stitch and the single color per row mosaic colorwork keep the knitting simple and play up the texture of a linen-cotton blend yarn. The smaller kerchief is a great introduction to the mosaic knitting technique, while the finished shawl is big enough to keep ocean breezes at bay, make a handy sarong, and even be used as towel in a pinch!

While I may never quite fit that strict Mainer definition, I think this multi-use accessory shows some Yankee ingenuity, and yes, just a touch of moxie.

Juniper Moon Farm Zooey (60% Cotton, 40% Linen; 284yd 260m/100g) or similar DK weight yarn.

Color: Kerchief/Shawl
C1: White Pepper (03) 1 skein/2 skeins
C2: Orangeville (34) 1/2 skein/1 skein
C3: Mainsail (11) 1/2 skein/1 skein

This is a traditional triangle shawl worked from the center out, with four yarn over increases each RS row.

Mosaic knitting is worked with one color per row, with the design made by slipping stitches and thus pulling up a color from the row below.