After finishing the Ravenscar Cardigan pieces last week, I had a decision to make. Would I finally join it all together? Or pick up another project that’s been waiting patiently in a bag?
You can probably guess the answer – I cast on something new!
This is what knitting does to us, isn’t it? It gives more than once. It gives calm while we knit – even if we don’t notice it happening – and then it gives again when the finished piece keeps us, or someone else, warm. Like a drip of water that slowly forms a puddle, each row adds up to something soothing and whole.
The inspiration for this week’s project came from a knitter who popped into the studio asking for a short, simple scarf – a neckerchief, with no edging, just soft and plain. I showed her a few of my designs – the Dóchas Scarf, a simple garter stitch asymmetrical scarf with a picot edging using DK yarn (I have also knitted an aran version, both display samples are in the Skipton Studio),
the Lily Scarf, another garter stitch scarf with a delicate edging that becomes addictive to knit,
and the Catherine Cowl, a classic favourite that easily uses one ball of DK yarn – but none were quite what she wanted.
The request sparked an idea that’s been floating in my mind since Cumulus and Cashmere (not on the website yet…I can’t stop knitting with it long enough to photo the shades for the website!) arrived in the studio. The combination of those two yarns felt irresistible. So, I cast on immediately.
The feel of the yarns together was heavenly – light, fluffy, and soft. I just wanted to keep knitting and knitting! I decided to design something that used just one ball of each yarn. But when I finished… it wasn’t quite what I expected.
That’s designing for you. After 20 years, I still secretly hope that this will be the one that works perfectly first time. It never is, but that doesn’t stop me hoping – just like Quantum Leap: “Maybe this leap will be the leap home!”
So, can I show you a design that isn’t quite right yet? I’m not sure. Sometimes I put the sample away for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. It’s like expecting a cup of coffee and being given tea – nothing wrong with tea, it just wasn’t what you were prepared for.
I think I’ll start again with fresh balls of yarn, and see what new ideas appear as the stitches build up. That’s the beauty of knitting and designing – there’s always another chance to begin again.