It lurks out there in the endless depths of the Ravelry Pattern library….

Some say she’s only a myth but we all know better. Those of us that believe will stand and watch for hours just for a glimpse, and now I have real photographic proof.

She’s real! a hand knit that actually looks like plaid!

This entire pattern was really just written because I was trying to find the very best way to recreate plaid in knitting. There are a lot of different methods out there but none of them quite did it for me. So, as with all of my patterns, it’s not so much an ardent yen to create as it is a bull-headed stubbornness to get exactly what I want that motivated me.
I used mosaic knitting to create what felt to me to be the plaidiest of knit plaids I could. The benefit to mosaic over fair isle or double knitting techniques is that you’re only ever using one color per row, so you end up with a fabric that’s tidier on the wrong side than fair isle and more lightweight than double knitting.
It is, in my humble opinion, the best plaid technique out there today.

(takes bow)

Thank you, really, oh please the applause isn’t necessary…

Ok now assuming you just skimmed that last bit, here’s the meaty details you want:

Finished Dimensions:
approx. 96” x 15”

Yardage requirements:
Color A: Dark Harbor (teal) 540 yards
Color B: Heartwood (brown) 270 yards
Color C: Yellow Heather (gold) 580 yards

Gauge:
Screw gauge! It doesn’t need to fit, so if you like the way your fabric looks and drapes then your gauge is correct. That said, everyone knits slightly differently so do be aware that I added about 30 yards to each color’s yardage requirements to allow for these variations.
But also, if you run out of a color early, just stop knitting, it’s an 8 foot shawl when it’s done, maybe if yours is only 7 foot 8 inches that’s okay.

I wrote the pattern as something of a tutorial on mosaic knitting and chart reading. Even if you haven’t done mosaic knitting or knit from a chart before, if you’re confident and just a little daring you can still do this pattern.