Summmer Travels Inspiration Part Five - Lady's Tresses Shawl

So this is the final pattern in our series inspired by my travels in Summer 2016 (yes, I am that far behind on my pattern writing!) This pattern was inspired by a biking trip near Aviemore in the Scottish Highland where we came across a patch of beautiful Lady's Tresses orchids (yes, we do have orchids in Scotland!)

I absolutely love looking for unusual wildflowers, and finding wild orchids is always very special. Lady's Tresses shawl has a pretty floral motif and pointed edging, inspired by their delicate flowerheads. And the rest of the bike ride was very scenic too, through Scot's pine forest.

The shawl itself is very quick to knit, using less than 380yds / 350m of laceweight yarn. It starts with a garter stitch band shaped with short rows, then a band of floral lace which blends into a delicate lacy edging. Here's the pattern information:

Yarn:  Gemini Knits 2 ply Laceweight Baby Suri Alpaca/Merino (50% Baby Suri Alpaca, 50% Merino, 1097 yards / 1200m per 100g)

Colourway Stormclouds

380yds / 350m required

Dimensions: 9" / 22.5cm wide at the ends, 11" wide at the centre and 70" long.

Needles: US 6 / 4mm circular needle.  

Gauge: 16 sts = 4" / 10cm in stocking stitch after blocking.

Extras: Tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends, mat and t-pins for blocking.

 

Purchase the pattern on

Ravelry

Etsy

Craftsy

 

 

Summer Travels Inspiration Part Four - Thieves' Road Shawl

So as ever, it's been a long time since the last release in this series. I definitely have major issues with saying "no" when people offer me extra work to do which keeps my schedule full to bursting, my resolution for 2018 will definitely be to do less work and spend more time knitting!


Better late than never though, here's the story behind my latest pattern.


The Thieves' Road is a path near Aviemore, which was used in the dim and distant past by raiders who would loot and pillage in the villages nearby. We biked up the trail to Inshriach Bothy where we stayed the night, you can see route details on the Heritage Paths website. It's a strangely beautiful place - the Scot's pine and juniper bushes are twisted into pretty weird shapes around a clearing.

 I must admit I find bothies a bit creepy too - I would much rather sleep in my tent. In a very modern spooky moment at about midnight my phone went crazy - after about three days with no phone signal or internet it came to life with all my notifications, all of a sudden and in the absolute middle of nowhere. Should have brought the tent!

Trees growing very strangely here!

So the shawl was inspired a bit by the history of the place - I think the slightly faded looking red and blue paired up with the heirloom lace gives a bit of a pirate/smuggler kind of feel to them in keeping with the history of the trail, and the handdyed Malabrigo yarn works beautifully with zigzag stripes. The wider, shallower triangle makes it perfect for wrapping up in - ideal for sitting around a campfire - since it's cold enough to need a thick shawl when you're camping in Scotland, even when the fire's going and even in July! It's dk weight too, which makes it a cosier shawl, and a quicker knit, than most shawls in a lighter yarn. 

Bothy entertainment - cards and single malt

Here's the details:

The pattern for Thieves' Road Shawl is available to purchase on:

Ravelry

Craftsy

Loveknitting

Etsy

Pattern Specifications:

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Rastita DK
MC No me Olvides, CC - Jupiter (100% Merino Wool, 283 m/310 yds per 100 g)
One 100 g skein in each colourway = 566 m/620 yds.

Dimensions: Makes a triangle 162 cm/64” across and 50 cm/20” high after blocking.

Needles: 4.5 mm/US 7 40”/100 cm circular needle (for working flat) 6.5 mm/US 10.5 needles for bind off only.

Gauge: 19 sts and 28 rows = 10 cm/4” after blocking

Extras: Tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends, mat and t-pins for blocking.

Summer Travels Inspiration Part Three - Russula Shawl

 So it's been a long time since Part Two of this series was released, and certainly a long time since last summer! I had planned on releasing one new pattern a month between the summer and Christmas but life got in the way a bit.

Things have been pretty much non-stop hectic here - I've started tutoring a Maths course with the Open University, which has eaten up pretty much all of my spare time and I was doing a lot of evening work as part of my day job. However, the OU course is nearly finished now and I've just started a new job which is much closer to home and should hopefully leave me with much more free time for designing. Moving one step closer to the dream of going part time in my "real" job and having more time to knit and write patterns.

Anyway, better late than never, this is the third in a series of patterns inspired by my travels last Summer. The first was Abriachan Cowl, inspired by the beautiful colours in the forest at Abriachan. The second was Fiacaill Cardigan, inspired by the Fiacaill Ridge in the Cairngorms. The third pattern is inspired by bright red Russula mushrooms, which were just starting to appear in the forests in late Summer:

You often find them in shady pine woods. At this time of year they look like something from a fairy tale, an eyecatching flash of colour in dark, gloomy surroundings. There's something a bit magical about mushrooms, especially unusual ones, and the Scottish climate seems to really suit them. Here's a few we've spotted through the years:

This shawl was designed to have the same effect as the bright red russulas, a flash of cheery colour that will stand out against Scotland's often dull and dreary weather. Russula is a pretty, crescent shawl with a stunning diamond pattern and pointed edging. It begins with a wide crescent in garter stitch, then work a zig-zag edging of diamond lace. The lace pattern is very simple, and looks much more complex than it really is.  

Available to purchase on:

Ravelry

Craftsy

Etsy

Loveknitting

20% discount on Ravelry with coupon code SUMMERTRAVELS3 until end of December 2017

Details are as follows:

Yarn: Cloudborn Wool Fingering Twist
Colourway Scarlet Heather (100% Fine Highland Wool, 368m/402yds per 100g)
Two 100g skeins (you won’t need much of the second skein) = 384m/ 420yds

Dimensions: 150cm (60”) wide and 40cm (16”) deep at widest point.

Needles: 4.5mm/US 7 40”/100cm circular needle (for working flat) 6.5mm / US 10.5 needles for bind off only.

Gauge: 17sts and 32 rows in garter stitch after blocking.

Extras: Tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends, mat and t-pins for blocking.

 

 

Summer Knitting Inspiration

Two new pattern releases to celebrate!

Loch Katrine Shawl is a pretty little shawl with stunning zigzag edging. Short row shaping gives this shawl a delicate curve and “mini-nupps” add interest to the lace section. This shawl is quick to knit and only uses 50g of laceweight yarn – perfect gifting material!

Castle Sands Scarf is a stunning wide scarf in a pretty Estonian lace stitch pattern with a gorgeous edging, blocked into delicate points. It's worked from the centre out so that both sides are perfectly symmetrical. The yarn is an unbelievably soft and buttery heavy lace weight yarn, almost a 4ply. Its luxurious softness and fabulous handdyed colourways work so well with delicate lace.

And if you need more Summer knitting inspiration, please check out our post about our all time Top Ten Summer Knitting Patterns. There's something for everyone - simple linen tees, pretty wraps and intricate lace. 

Wishing all our readers a happy, knitting filled Summer!

Year of Lace Knitting

Three of my oldest and dearest friends turn thirty this year. I've set myself a challenge to knit each of them a truly timeless heirloom piece to mark the occasion. 

For my friend Gill, I knitted Sineabhar, a stunning shawl that looks amazing but is actually quite straightforward to knit. The pattern gives two sizes, for a 50" and 80" shawl. Using only 65 and 35g of yarn for each size, it's the perfect pattern for using up leftover laceweight yarn.

Sineabhar is available to purchase from Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and Loveknitting.

For my friend Jo, I have knitted up Northumbria. A gorgeous rectangular shawl with zigzag stripes of delicate lace. This would work just as well as a truly beautiful everyday scarf as it would as a wrap over an evening dress.

Northumbria is also available on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and Loveknitting.

And my third friend? Her birthday isn't for a few more months, so it's still a bit of a work in progress! 

Felted Lace Wrap Pattern

Just released this week, Felted Lace Wrap:

An easy lace pattern in worsted weight wool (so it's quick to knit)! The wrap is lightly felted once it's done which gives it a fuzzy, worn-in look, and softens it up. Available to download from Ravelry, Etsy and Craftsy.

Yarn: Croft Wools Aran weight Gotland yarn, one 250g skein. Available by mail order from http://www.croftwools.co.uk/wool.html

Gauge: 14 sts = 4” with 6.5mm / US 10.5 needles before blocking.

Needles: One 40” 6.5mm / US 10.5 circular needle.

Extras: Two stitch markers

Dimensions: 16” x 60”

Asphodel Shawl

I've just released a new lace pattern, Asphodel Shawl:

 

A stunning lace shawl with a geometric design. There are three distinct bands of lace in the shawl, working from larger to smaller diamonds with a lace edge. The shawl is constructed as a traditional triangular shawl, with the lace patterns to the right and left sides of the spine mirror images of each other.

Asphodel is available on Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace or other laceweight yarn. Two skeins = 840 yards / 768m.

Gauge: 21 sts = 4” with 4mm / US 6 needles after blocking. Exact gauge isn't crucial though.

Needles: One 40”/100cm 4mm / US 6 circular needle.

Extras: Two stitch markers, crochet hook and yarn in a contrasting colour for provisional cast on, 4.5mm/US7 needle for bind-off, pins and a large towel for blocking.

Dimensions: makes a triangle 58” across

and 29” high after blocking.

Updates

Just a quick post to keep everyone up to date with the latest news. First, I've just made a Facebook page, which you can find here. Keep an eye on it for latest pattern and yarn news and hopefully a few giveaways will be coming up in the near future.

I've got a new shawl pattern just out: Buddleia is based on a traditional Estonian leaf lace pattern witht the addition of a floral motif. You can buy the pattern on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

  Next, I've got a jumper pattern in the pipeline, Lochan is a beautiful lacy sweater with a really simple construction. All the shaping's done by changing needles and the lace pattern's easy to remember. It's still being tested at the moment, in fact, if you're interested in testing the sweater in a 32, 48 or 56" bust then you should head to the Ravelry free pattern testers group and volunteer! The pattern should hopefully be available to purchase at the end of November.

And finally, fresh off the blocking board is my Eilean shawl. I'm hopefully going to get the pattern written up this week and should be looking for test knitters soon. Keep an eye on the Ravelry free pattern testers group if you're interested!

Here's a wee picture!