les abeilles

Posted on Posted in patterns

the bee is an age-old symbol of royalty, deserving of the rich textures in this little shawlette, knit up in a luxurious, silky yarn. the beautiful stitch definition is built right into the motif, so it works well for drapey or bouncy yarn alike. beginning with the sculpted hem, this easy-to-knit piece is sure to entrance, both in the working and in the wearing.

shown above, the size mini scarf in sunshine yarns sunsilk, colorway mustard seed (i believe some of this will become available in the sunshine yarns shop on 6/29).

shown below, the petite shawl in briar rose fibers sea pearl, in a colorway similar to 529 (525 or 527 are also close!).

the brooch of swarming bees shown with the shawlettes is a perfect match for the hem motif and was purchased from perl grey

to purchase pattern or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the product page in the knitspot pattern shop.

for anyone who loves knitting company i hear tell that there may be a
“les abeilles” KAL forming in the sunshine yarnies and the knitspot ravelry groups. also, “les abeilles“, the video now posted to youtube.

(if you wish to subscribe to knitspot channel you can do so by clicking here)

dani, of sunshine yarns has a real winner with this luscious sunsilk yarn“, which inspired the design for this shawlette. it’s a terrific lace/fingering yarn that knits up quickly into a stunning fabric for shawls and scarves; i loved every minute of working with it. dani also dyes on several other yummy yarn bases in a beautiful array of colors; i highly recommend a trip to her online shop for a sunny diversion (oooh, shop update scheduled for tomorrow!)

and many thanks to my friend chris at briar rose fibers for the gorgeous gray/brown/blue sea pearl she tucked into my stash for a rainy day—it came in quite handy for the second sample knit. this luxurious blend of tencel/wool has an incredible hand and worked up beautifully to show off this piece in a completely different color.

and where would we be without some awesome test knitters? karolyn and kim from the woolen rabbit jumped right on this one the minute they saw it. kim is knitting hers in one of her lovely bamboo blends and has promised to show photos later today on her blog—thank you kim!

knowing karolyn’s well-documented addiction to favorite patterns, i almost felt a little bad about handing this one off to her, but i figure, she’s a grownup, right?? well sure enough, she’s on her third one already. but to be fair, it’s therapeutic—she’s been recovering from a nasty wound she suffered in a gardening accident (and we SO wish her a speedy recovery).

thank you both ever so much for all your help!

david got a new camera for taking modeling shots for pattern releases and covers. there’s a learning curve with it, so he sorta went crazy taking pictures between thunderstorms yesterday—we ended up with almost 900 photos to sort through. i worked til 3am this morning, trying to pare them down to a reasonable number, but i still have a lot. grab a cup of coffee or a sandwich and we’ll take a look together . . .

43 thoughts on “les abeilles

  1. Not only do I love the shawl (just bought the pattern), but I LOVE how happy you are in all of the shots. David and his new camera did a great job. And face it, Anne. You just don’t take a bad picture : )

  2. I can understand why Karolyn is already on her third project from this pattern. It will bee a universal favorite, I’m sure.

    Lovely job, David.

  3. Hmmm, I think David already has this camera figured out! Thanks for sharing all these beautiful photos with us. Anne, maybe you could start giving shawl-draping/pinning workshops! You’ve given us some great examples on how to wear them to advantage. Now to get my copy of the pattern – I’ve been waiting for this one to be released with bated breath…

  4. Oh my….I have been (somewhat) successfully avoiding temptation, even with all of the Ravelry discussion….but saw photos there this morning, and yours this afternoon…well. This is even more lovely than usual!

  5. ooooh just love it. of course so many of the yarns are not in stock in colors that would be perfect for my niece. but i’m definitely making this for her and for myself as well!
    i juve love it.
    and the photos are amazing.

  6. Beautiful!
    In both colours.
    I though like the greyish most.
    We have bees in our family escutcheon, but I did not know, that it is a symbol of royalty 😉

  7. Another divine design, thank you. I won’t be able to resist this one. It really lends itself to handspun yarn as well as commercially produced yarn. So many special little details. Hooray for you.

  8. Another beautiful creation! I can’t wait to knit it. You are a born model, Anne!

  9. OH! So pretty. The size is so nice, too. This does not look too intimidating to knit OR wear. Really lovely. You are amazingly talented!

  10. Yes, you are feeding my addiction, Anne, and I am truly grateful! Really, this shawl is so versatile and quick, it’s perfect for gifting. I may practice some of that… You’re pictures are fabulous, but 900?? Whoa!

  11. Anne, I’m not a shawl person, but Les Abeilles is a beauty. Something to recommend to someone who knits shawls.

  12. So pretty! You need to include phonetic pronunciation with some of these. It’s been too long since my high school french classes! 🙂

  13. Just lovely, and so wearable, both of them! I also love the brooch:) Fabulous photos, David!

  14. What a patient model – 900 pictures – wow! But they are stunning, to be sure. I will be adding this one to the queue as well. I might have to make both sizes.

  15. Absolutely love it Anne! The pictures are incredible, as always. Just cast on Campanula, then this one will be next!

  16. Gorgeous Anne, I especially love your smile in the 10th picture down. This is so beautiful! I am thinking I’d love to take this on my trip for some major airplane knitting (like, uh, 23 hours one-way worth of knitting).

  17. Yippee! I have some yarn on hold at my LYS (was just waiting to see yardage and sizes) and it will be a tough decision between the petite and tall. Decisions, decisions.

  18. Beeeeautiful pattern, oh Queen of lace! David’s photography is exquisite! I confess that I have been waiting most patiently for this pattern…truly worth the wait. A skein of Tabi Ferguson’s handspun entitled Above and Beyond2 has been dedicated to this pattern ever since you “unveiled” it during your visit to Shall We Knit. Les abeilles will go on the needles tonight. Move over Caricia!

  19. LOVE it!! That tiny size is so absolutely perfect for keeping the back of a neck warm — that kind of size is SO useful (and so knittable!). Must. Go. Cast. On.

  20. Oh, no! Something else to add to my list of projects. What is the average life expectancy of someone “of-a-certain-age”? Could it be 100+? And even at that I might not be able to use up all of my yarn!
    …but thanks for the great patterns!

  21. So beautiful – both the shawl and the model. I think David’s new camera is a smashing success! Can’t wait to make this one.

  22. oh my…bees!!!
    Of course, I bought it, but after hearing from Jocelyn, and seeing your post with David’s amazing photos (as usual), and Kim’s lovely post, please tell me how I could resist?

    I think I’ll use my lovely Sea Pearl from SS09, and knit this in memory of my father, the beekeeper!

    You’ve got another winner, Anne!
    (((hugs)))

  23. Lovely shawl & pictures. Oddly your post’s title brought to mind a song from the French version of Diego, but your text made me remember the Merovingians & I just had to go look for some photos of those gorgeous bees. A bit of an odd mix, but interesting!

  24. Another absolutely gorgeous pattern. Had to get this one and it just jumped to the head of my queue. Lovely photos, by the way. And you went through 900 of them? That’s an act of love, beautiful photos or not.

  25. 900 photos.. wow.. go David 😉
    And this is a stunning small shawl – truly. And seeing it, I totally understand why Kim is totally in love with knitting it.!

  26. The shawl is so…..gorgeous & the photos are stunning. David is a great photographer & the 2 of you make a great team!

  27. LOVELY! Just bought some sunsilk in peony for this pattern!! I usually don’t knit in pinks so this should be fun/different!

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