Tappan Zee Pattern

Category:

Knitting

Type:

Accessory

Fit:

Women

Item:

Shawl

Skill Level:

Intermediate

Basic Skills Necessary:

• cast on
• bind off
• increases and decreases (explained in pattern)
• provisional cast on
• follow chart for slipped stitch pattern

Pattern Description:

When I first saw the House of Cards pattern, (Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, page 119) I was reminded of the Tappan Zee Bridge. One 28-row repeat of the pattern symbolizes the fretwork, the undulating curves suggest the movement of the water below and the eyelet band is the lights on the bridge at night. This is the bridge from my childhood, but it could easily be the Golden Gate Bridge, Sydney Harbor Bridge, Tower Bridge or Brooklyn Bridge.

Tappan Zee is worked from the top down starting with a garter stitch tab. Increasing 6 stitches on every right side row, three at each side, gives Tappan Zee its wide crescent shape. The slipped stitch pattern means you only use one color in a row making this look much more complicated than it really is.

Size: Medium (Large)

Blocked measurements:
Width along top edge: 60" (67 1/2")
Depth at midpoint: 14" (16 1/2")

Recommended yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light - 1 (2) skeins MC and 1 skein CC. Pictured in Ruby Slippers and Silver Fox in medium size