The Inspiration
For the past few days I've been mulling over a new design. I love playing with color and texture, and when we were doing the first video clips for Sweet Meadow Knits (the one on the home page) the idea for a light summer poncho popped into my head. This would be a simple project, where the yarn says it all. I knew I wanted to feature Alpaca Boucle from Hedgehog Fibres. Looking through my stash -- designers (and yarn purveyors) have very big stashes -- I saw several possibilities.
Option 1.
This first combination reminds me of Kodachrome, by Paul Simon, with all the greens and blues of summer and then some!
Hedgehog Fibres: Alpaca Boucle in Skinny Dip, Skinny Singles in fly and Merino Lace in velvet
Option 2.
Or I could use the dusky rocky mountain colors with pops of wildflowers:
Hedgehog Fibres: Alpaca Boucle in graphite, Skinny Singles in insomnia and Merino Lace in stone
Option 3.
Breezy and cool, this combination reminds me of wind and reflections on a clear blue day.
Hedgehog Fibres: Alpaca Boucle in glacier, Skinny Singles in budgie and Merino Lace in hush
I could have tossed a coin between this combination and the last. In the end I chose this combination, mostly because it's for me and I'm partial to blue.
After a little research into poncho styles, I've decided on making a "Ruana", which is a large square with an opening down the front. I plan to use the Merino Lace throughout, doubling it with both the Skinny Singles and the Boucle. Tonight: sketching and swatching. Stay tuned for part 2: the design.
May the sun shine on your knitting, may your skeins never tangle, and have a great day!