OK, now that we’ve got all the seasons covered, it’s time to think (and knit) proactively. Rather than waiting for Fall to think about Fall knitting that you won’t finish until Winter and therefore won’t wear until next Fall, how about starting in on something new and fun in time for the cooler weather coming up? (Again, apologies to those in the southern hemisphere for my north-centric worldview here).
The first thing you’ll probably notice is that I managed to find an even creepier statue to model my new pattern than the one that modeled Parallax v0.5. But hopefully you’ll also notice the stunning thing she’s wearing. Witness the first example of true double-knit lace — not merely two layers of lace stuck together, not merely using lace to embellish an otherwise normal piece of knitting, but reversible lace with subtle colorwork that literally could not have been done in any other way. If you’ve been following me, you may notice that this is the pattern I was working toward back when I made this post.
The pattern is called Spring Willow, and it’s a double-knit lace cowl in luscious Anzula Dreamy superwash merino/cashmere/silk yarn. It has a really nice drape for a double-knit piece, and the combination of lace and two layers makes it an ideal 3-season garment. As with all my patterns, every technique you’ll need is explained — with pictures, when possible. Double-knit lace is surprisingly easy to achieve, and you’ll soon find yourself cruising through this pattern in ample time to have it ready for the Fall and early Winter that it’s so well suited for. And even if it may not be best worn in the coldest midwinter, it can make a reappearance alongside its namesake as you begin to see the spring greens and new-growth browns that the colors were chosen to represent.
I hope you enjoy the pattern — for now it’s available on Ravelry but I’ll be posting it to Craftsy and Etsy as well in the near future. Here’s a closeup shot of the fabric:
Further Updates
Good news for West Coast folks! I have been accepted to teach my full repertoire at Stitches West in 2015 — a couple of regular workshops and then the Sunday-Monday intensive ETC class where you’ll get to learn all kinds of advanced two-color double-knitting stuff. Rumor has it that registration is starting even earlier this year — next week, I believe? so I hope to see some of you there!
For my East Coast family, I am running a short series of workshops in Dorchester, Salem, Portland (ME) and at Harrisville Designs! More info on those once I have everything nailed down.