It's all in a color!

When ordering linen, often a new color will jump out and beckon me to experiment with it. This month’s color is lavender. Straight away, working with this color seems joyous. It is as if I can smell the flowers in the fields as I knit, and that the fragrance will remain on my fingertips after I put my knitting away.

With lavender in hand, I am working with the same pattern repeat that I used on the Dewdrop cowl. The cowl has been so well received that I decided to create a companion sweater. This new design and pattern will hopefully be available in June so please check back to see the result.

When it comes to knitting lacework (truth be told) I have never been drawn to working on complicated filagree pattern work. I search through pattern books looking for motifs that use simple repeats to create an elegant effect. I am not ready to take the plunge into the matrix of spiderweb knitting and stitch realignments. Having said that, I very much admire those who are accomplished in this art form.

The 18-stitch repeat used in Dewdrop and now its successor sweater boils down to knitting straight for three rows, followed by a fourth row of knitting two stitches together (K2TOG) as well as knit one and yarn over, repeat. Easy as pie! I find it best to place a marker every 18 stitches to keep me on track.

I am also currently working on a lecture that I will present on Mackinac Island this summer that delves into the history of sweater design and the colorful tales that ensue. For example, did you know that Lord Raglan, while fighting the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, received wounds to his right arm that were so severe that he had to undergo an arm amputation. Following the operation Lord Raglan’s tailor innovatively began to make garments with a diagonal seam at the underarm to the collar that made dressing much easier for him and thus the raglan sleeve sweater was born. Who would have guessed!

Today in Charlevoix it is a warm 75 degrees, and the garden is calling. To be sure, there is a bit of lavender to tend to. Zephyr, my rather large English Cream Golden Retriever, is lounging on the floor next to me with a doleful look, waiting for his walk. So, I will leave you with this: knit when it feels good, garden if it feels good, walk because it will make you feel good, and take time to smell the lavender.

Gail

May 10, 2022