Variation on a Theme

21 April, 2011 | 5 O'Clock, Knitwear Design | tags: kal, knitalong, lace, lilac, parasol, parasol shawlette, shallow shawl, shawlette.

PARASOL SHAWLETTE – £3

Variations are surely one of the most entertaining & educational artistic practices of all time. When you’re familiar with your piece, and have already done the hard graft of choosing your theme, you’re free to play & tinker, and indulge. My attempts are humble, but here is what a master composer can do with a simple tune (perhaps the simplest tune?). Listen while you read on…

Have you noticed that shallow shawls* seem to be all the rage in the knitting world recently? I simply couldn’t resist. The Parasol Shawlette is a variation of the Parasol Stole: narrower, and with a single border for the ribbing section. The central section, instead of being straight, makes a gentle curve, with the ribbing flowing easily in & out of the decrease “bells”. I have to admit, there are several aspects of this variation that I find particularly satisfying:

• The asymmetry is a natural result of the repetition. What I mean is, though the exact same lace pattern is repeated at either end, it looks asymmetrical, but not unattractively so.
• I find the shawl shaping method particularly elegant (though I do say so myself). As the decreases grow, the shawl narrows. In fact, this is the only tweak you need to make to shape the shawl. The decrease method (which I showed you in this video), remains exactly the same.
• It’s a nice balance of mindless knitting & lace.
• It knits up in a weekend. Who is above the lure of instant gratification? Not me!

The lace sections at either end look pretty when you use the shawlette as a scarf, but they also function as ties if you’d rather wear it around your shoulders.

spring steal

PARASOLS EBOOK – £5

I would like to say that spring has stolen up on me, but I can’t remember a more dull, drizzly or dreary April! These slightly blurry shots were the best I could get, and it’s chilly enough right now that I’m wearing the shawlette around my neck as I type. Still, I’m all excitement for my first pattern bundle! Buying the Stole & Shawlette together will save you £1, which you can will spend on yarn. :)

let’s do it!

“Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.” – Annie Dillard

That might be the tagline of my spring collection. I know some people think sitting & knitting as far from “living” as you can get (that Edvard Munch quotation comes to mind), but where spending days are concerned – and spend them we must – knitting in the afternoon, quietly, contentedly, must come close to bliss. I would be honoured if you were to spend your afternoon with me & my patterns. Which is why…

Please invite your friends/readers also! Here’s the code to place on your blog:

<a href="http://laylock.org/blog"><img src="http://laylock.org/images/blog/parasol-kal.png"/></a>

(You can also link directly to the Ravelry Laylock Designs Group, if you’d prefer.)

Are you also participating in 11 shawls in 2011? I am! You will be glad to know that both the Parasol Stole & Shawlette qualify (in terms of yardage & style) for the challenge. So that puts my current count at 5 and a half.

I hope it’s sunny where you are, lovely knitters & that your yarns are colourful enough to put the spring blossoms to shame. Have a gorgeous weekend! xx

* Every time I say “shallow shawls”, I get that Cole Porter song stuck in my head: “In shallow shoals English soles do it / Goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it / Let’s do it, let’s fall in love”.

Some pattern specs…

2 comments

Wordless Wednesday

6 April, 2011 | Photographs | tags: lace, lilac, parasol, ribbing, shawlette.

3 comments

In Lilac-time

22 May, 2009 | Inspiration, Laylock, Life | tags: heart, lilac, poetry.

“Now that lilacs are in bloom
She has a bowl of lilacs in her room
And twists one in her fingers while she talks.”
- T.S. Eliot, ‘Portrait of a Lady’

Few things are as uplifting as a bunch of lilacs in a room. Even when you’re not looking at them, their scent still surprises you. Being able to pick them myself from the garden is a priceless pleasure. And even after the lilac flowers have gone over, I love seeing the name ‘Laylock’, and remembering the inspiration this plant offers. What a delightful business growth model lilacs would make! Graceful, profuse, colourful, robust, and full of heart.

In the door-yard fronting an old farm-house, near the white-wash’d palings,
Stands the lilac bush, tall-growing, with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom, rising, delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle……and from this bush in the door-yard,
With delicate-color’d blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig, with its flower, I break.
- Walt Whitman, ‘When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d’

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Cabling in the Country

25 February, 2009 | Houselock, Knitwear Design | tags: country, grey, lilac, rowan, stockings.

There are buds on the lilac.

Spring is nearly here. Snowdrops abound, several daffodils have opened their sunny selves, and I have seen hawthorn on the very brink of bloomage.

I am designing a pair of knee-length cabled stockings, which I am enjoying immensely. Cabling is always more fun than I remember. I’m considering naming these ‘Country Stockings’, as I think they will be perfect for wearing under skirts on country walks, or even as wellie socks, and besides they have a (pleasant) ‘peasant heel‘. I also thought of ‘Cottage Stockings’, but I think it’s time to move away from the ‘house’ theme a little. The yarn is Rowan Pure Wool DK; soft, lofty, superwash, and comes in a wonderful variety of colours! My boyfriend already has his eyes on them, but I have ribbon garters in mind, to trail in the wind.

I hope you make time to go for a nice, long walk this week.

3 comments

First Experiments in Logo Design

17 December, 2008 | Laylock | tags: design, graphics, Laylock, lilac, logo.

I’m relatively new to vector graphic design, and especially to logo design, but I needed something to use on the Laylock website and on patterns. Laylock is an old word for ‘lilac’, so the lilac flower and colour were my chief inspiration. I began by looking through photographs of lilacs on Flickr. I particularly like the slightly upturned tips of the petals of the lilacs, and I thought the simple corolla of the classic four-petal lilacs would translate well into a logo. I began with a few fussy details, like the crease lines on the petals, and the shadows around the edges where the petals curl; then I began to simplify the design, trying my best to incorporate negative space into the image, since white and lilac are the most common colours for lilac flowers. But I felt the pattern wasn’t working; it looked very flat and almost too symmetrical. The fat petals also did little to represent the grace and delicacy of the flower, so I abandoned the motif and went back to the photos to see if I could find a more lively and appropriate representation. read more »

4 comments