If you have been an Out of Babel (Books) reader for many years, you may remember that I have a hopeless crush on all things American Indian. I happen to live near a reservation, complete with casino (the casino is not so much my crush). This Spring, I went and bought a lovely hand-beaded item from the many on sale there.

Just look at all the man- or woman-hours on that thing!

The beads are sewn into a leather cover that’s attached to a hair barrette. (Fun fact: My grandmother, when she was alive, knew how to make beaded earrings in this style and she taught me how. That’s how I know this item would have taken a looong time!)

Anyway, my little sister, aware of my love for all things American Indian, bought me this lovely yarn, which struck her as being in colors typical of the tribe who live near us. I promptly searched Etsy for a knitting pattern that would showcase this yarn according to its potential. I settled on The Drifter Shawl, by NarrowPathKnitDesign, here.

The Drifter uses a Center Double Decrease stitch to create the chevron shape in the middle of the shawl. The center chevron “drifts” towards one side of the shawl (compensatory increases are made on one side but not on the other). The chevron is supposed to go all the way to the edge of the shawl, but I ran out of yarn, so I just bound off early. That’s why there is a slight notch in the finished product. I still love the shawl and get tons of compliments on it.

It can be worn with almost any of the colors found on it: blues, oranges, pinks, duns. In my mind, the Platonic ideal for this shawl is to wear it with black.

Here are some close-ups.

One great thing about the Drifter pattern is that it’s so versatile. The pattern includes a three-color or a two-color option, and obviously, the colors you pick can drastically change the feel of the shawl. I’m already working on another rendition of this shawl for a friend, for which I have bought sufficient yarn this time.