a spring twist

Posted on annePosted in designing, lace/shawls, patterns

last friday, when the spring/summer issue of twist collective was launched, i was deep into the opening class day of sock camp and had hardly a moment to talk about our budding apple shawlette design included in the issue.

fortunately, news spreads fast, thanks to our very enthusiastic ravelry group (i love you guys!), as well as excited fans of the dyers involved in the project—spirit trail fiberworks providing neith, kollage yarns providing creamy, and the natural dye studio providing precious and angel 4-ply.

that’s a lotta yarn and we did a lotta knitting to make a sample in each one. why so many?

knitters often write to tell me they appreciate our extensive project photography and how much they enjoy exploring blog links to the wealth of gorgeous yarns available to us. i thought it would be fun to present a pretty, quick-knit project that would translate beautifully in a variety of fibers and colors, with an investment in just a skein or two of yarn (the better to try more of them, my dear!).

and what better time than spring to refresh our senses with a palette of soft colors in luscious non-wool fibers? so i set out in my usual way to create a project that would fit all of those parameters.

first step—you guessed it—swatches.

i worked up several swatches in various sample yarns i had on hand, til i came up with a set i liked in a range of non-wool fiber types, including alpaca, cashmere, silk, cotton, and milk.

i don’t remember when, exactly, i decided on these particular stitch patterns, but the moment i saw them together, i knew that they brought together a bunch of loosely-related ideas i had into one firm idea, which was now about apple trees.

in other words, up until that point, i had a general sense of the feeling i wanted to portray, but seeing the stitches together made apple buds come to mind. and since i was designing for a spring issue, that seemed just right.

the larger pattern for the hem portion is one of many “grapevine” variations; this one is particularly sensual, i think, with its sinuous movement and shading. the tiny eyelet trefoil provides a delicately punctuated field to rest the eyes on, while still keeping the feeling light and lively.

once i had my stitch patterns planned out, i did some preliminary charting and got started on the prototype in kollage creamy, in the cool, fresh canopy green color.

it was a quick knit all right and i was done in no time at all. i did see afterward that a few tweaks were in order—the insertion at the center back didn’t seem right, so i decided to change that

and while i was at it, i refined the placement of the small eyelet pattern as well. luckily, i was able to get more yarn to produce another sample that is knit exactly as the pattern is written—that’s the one you’ll see in the magazine pages, knit by our very dear friend karolyn. the changes are subtle, but they make a difference to me.

the insertion in particular is a lot more in keeping with the design. i hesitated about using it, since i would then be repeating a detail i’d used before, but my gut told me it was better for the design.

once i had the prototype knit and finalized the design, i wrote the pattern up and we got to work on samples to send to the magazine.

these were my secret projects in september and october—above you see it in pure silk precious 4-ply from the natural dye studio, colorway heather and below, the cashmere/silk version in spirit trail neith even traveled to rhinebeck with me, a delicious travel companion.

this soft blue is named chalcedony and is worn by the model on the right in this photo. the yarn is to DIE for, with a lovely density that gives the finished shawl a nice weight. i’m so sorry i didn’t get a modeled shot of it before i sent it off, but time grew short and i was traveling a lot at that point, oy. same goes for the one we knit up in a soft pink color called sugar, from the natural dye studio.

and all that was way back in the fall, before thanksgiving. i didn’t revisit this project for quite a few months, but when the pattern proofs arrived from twist, i took everything out again to take one last look before publication.

as it happened, the fruit trees were just beginning to show their buds as we put those final touches on the pattern and i was wowed by how accurately the stitch patterns mimic the look of their branches, droopy with buds and ready to burst into flower. i couldn’t help but be reminded of the shawl during my seattle stay, just as this issue went live.

one week later, i finally have a chance to sit and write a thoughtful recap of the process of designing this piece and to thank the staff at twist collective for including it in this spring/summer issue.

coincidentally, i’ve been spending some time this week with my friend erica, who is responsible for providing the kollage yarns to knit this project. we landed in dallas fresh from the windswept, rain soaked environs of the pacific northwest to find it balmy and warm here in texas.

so we decided a photo shoot would be in order. while we discussed doing the shoot, she suggested a fun way to celebrate the pattern release—a drawing for a budding apple kit.

kollage will send one lucky winner a budding apple kit, consisting of three skeins of creamy yarn (winner’s choice of color) and two sets of square circular needles to knit the piece. since twist collective has an exclusive license on the pattern, we cannot offer a copy with the kit, but i will be happy to send a twist collective gift certificate to the winner, so they might purchase it.

(this was all erica’s idea, so please be sure to tweet her @kollageyarns to let her know how cool you think she is!)

if winning a kit like this sounds like the bees knees to you, please leave a comment at the end of this post by 5pm EST on sunday, april 10. we will announce the winner on monday.

til then, have a great weekend; i’ll be working at the DFW fiber fest all weekend, so please stop me to say hi if you see me there! we have more treats and surprises coming up next week and i’ll actually have some time off from work to blog as well, so stay tuned.

636 thoughts on “a spring twist”

  1. Ooooh, I would love this! Your patterns are divine and I would be honored to make and wear this.

  2. Yes! Yes! I would love to win a kit!!! And BTW, just in case you actually READ all of these comments…..the Yarn Harlot says you are so funny, and i bet it’s true! Glad y’all had a good time!

  3. I have the book on lace knitting that was recommended. This would the perfect project!!!

  4. This pattern is absolutely darling. I’m hoping to be the lucky winner . . . pick me, pick me please . . .

  5. The shawl is beautiful. Thanks for a chance to win. Sock Camp sounds like fun – Someday when I retire from teaching . . .

  6. What a beautiful shawl – I’d LOVE to win it. Thank you for your wonderful designs.

  7. Oh, What a lovely pattern. I’ve just (this month) started spinning and dyeing, and have been knitting for about two years. I’m hooked! puleeeeeeze pick me pick me.

  8. That shawl is so pretty and looks like someone who is a beginner in lace knitting could accomplish.

  9. Well – I’m jealous about your apple blossoms – ours haven’t emerged here, but a kit would certainly make me feel like part of the orchards that surround my town.

  10. Absolutely beautiful design Anne. Looks just like the cherry trees I see from my front window. All of which are at the peak of their fuchsia colour as I write this. Would love to knit this one and try out some new yarn! Thanks!

  13. beautiful pattern!! would love the opportunity to win!! I don’t have a twitter account but thanks Erica!!!

  14. IMHO, this is one of the most successful shawlette patterns I’ve seen in a long time! I love how well it’s balance of simple eyelets and twining leaf patterns fit in with the sweet sense of the spring season and the desire to knit something light and pretty!

  15. I’ve purchased the pattern already and have several one of a kind cakes of yarn ready, but I’m always up for more yarn and I’ve never tried Kollage’s square needles, so. . . . please pick me!! ;D
    BTW, I LOVE your patterns!

  16. What a yummy shawl! I’ve got the proverbial snowball’s chance of winning this kit, but if I don’t comment, it’s guaranteed.

  18. Erica makes a beautiful model for your shawl. It would be the bee’s knees and sheeps wool if I won the kit 🙂

  20. I had classes with Anne today, which were awesome, and she was nice enough to tell us about this posting. Tomorrow I will tell Erica how nice her pictures turned out when I go back to the Fiberfest. The shawl is as lovely as Anne said it was! She’s right about a lot of things! And a great teacher! Thank you so much for two wonderful classes and six marvelous hours!

    Why Be Normal?

  22. Anne Hanson, Knitspot designs are sublime. I can see myself knitting my budding apple shawlette as I gently sway on the glider sitting on the backyard deck, wind chimes tinkling, and the smell of spring blossoms wafting gently through my joyful soul.

  26. What a fantastic design! I love the way the side stitches just sit there in a little line!

  27. Working on this lovely little shawl would be a perfect little “palate cleanser” between rows of your Maplewing, which I am currently making with Woolen Rabbit’s Chantilly Lace in Tigerlily. I will light candles to the Knitting Muses…

  29. What a FANTASTIC post! There is not one thing that I didn’t like about it. Absolutely lovely lace shawlette pattern. Beautiful yarn. Phenomenal colors! As always, I really enjoy getting insight into your design process. It is one of the reasons that I love your blog so much. BTW, thank you Erica for suggesting the giveaway. Fingers crossed tightly in hopes of winning. In any case, congratulations on the pattern release!

  30. Lovely, just lovely, as always. Kudos also to Jamie Dixon, the Twist Collective photographer for the beautiful photos!

  32. What a beautiful lacy shawl pattern and the yarn is great too. Also a plus is the square circular needles. I would love to knit it.

  37. Lovely pattern and yarn! Glad we are having such lovely weather for you here in Texas!

  38. I love the pattern. Looks like it would be good for a beginning lace knitter. Welcome to Texas.

  42. Such a beautiful elegant little shawl. I would LOVE to knit it. Maybe I could sneak it in. I have three of your sweaters on my queue already!

  43. Wow! This is a great pattern and a lovely offer! Thanks for thinking about all of us. ;D

  44. What a delightful pattern. What a wonder if you picked me, but I live overseas and the postage maybe prohibitive.

  46. Wow, what a beauty. The way the blue is layered over the purple in one of the Twist pictures made me think of adding bead work, a clear green up the branch and a pink or yellow in the middle of the buds, knit in one of those gorgeous blues. It would remind of one of my favorite times of year, crisp nights and warm days, and walking under the heavenly smelling trees. Hmm… I might have to swatch that.

  49. I have made favorite shawls with your patterns. I hope I win your fabulous prize. Thanks.

  50. Oh wow, just when I was missing the apple blossoms of my south Michigan home town, this pattern comes into my life! /Sigh./

    If I win, this will be my very first shawl.

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