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In today’s short and sweet episode, I’m introducing the first shawl in The Shawl Society Season II, and chatting a little bit about the magical theme behind the whole collection. I’m also rounding up the WIPs I have on the needles right now…so many fun projects. It’s a joy and a bit of an escape to indulge in knitting other designer’s patterns in the middle of my own secret design work!
Show Sponsors:
Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It’s a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include Northbound Knitting, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more.
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Our first season II pattern, the Fairyhill Shawl, was released today!
Throughout the British Isles, a rich and mysterious folklore surrounds the rumoured homes of the fairy folk: the fairy hill. This is where the fairy folk gather far beneath the stones and moss. It is a place where a curious traveller passing at dawn or dusk might hear the pipes and harps of an otherworldly band, where a visitor may step through a luminous door. Drink a sparkling goblet of fairy wine, taste the fruit of a fairy feast, and you may find yourself dancing months or years of your life away in the space of a single night.
A fairy hill is a threshold to another secret world, which makes it the perfect inspiration for the first design of The Shawl Society Season II. The Fairyhill Shawl calls on these tales of a private realm where mystery and magical company beckon. Its graceful crescent shape and beautiful lace recall the flowers and leaves that flutter across the fae kingdom. This shawl will add a touch of enchantment to your everyday outfits, and with a little sparkle in your yarn or a scatter of twinkling beads it is fit for any revelry. The pattern includes two sizes: the small is perfect for a single spellbinding skein, and the medium colour-blocked version offers opportunities to experiment with bewitching colour combinations.
The true magic of a fairy hill goes far beyond folk tales, and you don’t need a literal belief in the little people to see the results. These are protected places in the human landscape. Farmers will not allow their sheep to graze there and roads are rerouted to avoid angering the mythical residents. As a result, they become sheltering islands for wildlife and ecology, beacons of biodiversity, peaceful havens where nature can carry on her wild creativity, undisturbed by the demands of modern life. Our special knitting projects often occupy the same space in our lives. We carve out a sacred time and place to make beautiful things, and the results of that creation are nothing less than magic.
Ice Cream Sunday Cardigan by Julie Sunshine
Gramps Cardigan by Tin Can Knits
Box O’ Sox KAL, hosted by the Yarngasm Podcast
Joji Mystery Wrap MKAL is starting on May 12
Giveaway Winner:
Josephine Franz has won the physical copy of East London Knit’s Zen Variations book with her comment:
Hi Helen,
I’d love to win a copy of Renee’s Zen Variations book!My favorite sweater is “Enzo”, I saw the one Helen from the woolkitchen made and I fell in love with this polished looking sweater! Thanks for the giveaway!
Xoxo,
Josephine
That’s all for now! Happy knitting and I’ll chat to you next week.
