This shawl is inspired by one of Aotearoa’s most iconic trees: the Pōhutukawa. From the textured representation of the bark, to the lace and fridge in red to evoke the iconic bright red flowers.The Māori used the flowering of the Pōhutukawa tree as a seasonal indicator. The flowers blossom in December/January, granting it the nickname of the New Zealand Christmas tree.
This is a 3/4 shawl, knit top to bottom, with alternating sections of textured slip-stitches and color lace and stripes. This shawl is meant to wrap you up and keep you cozy, which it certainly did when I went to visit Aotearoa in October of this year.
The photography in this pattern is a bit of a departure from what I usually do, for the reason that my mother took these photos. She enjoys creating “diptych photos" (two images paired together), so you will see images of the shawl paired up with some of the imagery in Aotearoa, speficially in places where she grew up, including in front of the oldest Pōhutukawa tree, located in Te Araroa.