“Strike me pink!” said Mary Poppins. That was what she always said when she was pleased.
—P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins

Strike Me Pink! is inspired by Mary Poppins’ characteristic accessory, her umbrella. In this shawl, the full circle of an umbrella has been modified into a semicircle (or, more precisely, a half-octagon) with extended width for cozy wrapping. The umbrella ribs have become the spines around which the increases are placed, while the bands of garter daisy lace, textured border, and knitted-on edging add a decorative feminine touch.

While rereading the book, I was surprised to notice how often Mary Poppins took an approving look at her reflection in a shop window—I hope she’d be pleased to see herself wearing a shawl like this one!

Kits in special Mary Poppins—inspired colorways are sometimes available from Little Skein.

Size: 58” wingspan and 22” deep, after a gentle blocking.

Yarn: This shawl is designed to use a single skein of each of two colors of fingering weight yarn. When substituting yarn, to ensure sufficient yardage, be sure to choose skeins with at least 415 yards.

Skills needed: Perfect for adventurous beginners as well as more advanced knitters. The pattern includes both written and charted directions.

To knit Strike Me Pink! you will need to be able to:

• Cast on, knit, purl, and bind off
• Increase stitches
• Decrease and join stitches with k2tog

This pattern has been tech-edited and test knit.