The creative process in nature and knitting!

Yaaaay, some sun at last! I was beginning to think the grey days would never end. It's amazing what a difference light and heat make in the garden - colours start to pop, leaves start to sparkle and birds start singing - suddenly life is good!

That said, the misty moisty mornings can provide a different type of inspiration. I've always had a soft spot for chalky hues, as opposed to pastels which I generally steer clear of. After the turn of the year the increasing light changes the colours around us all the time, although most days it's still too gloomy to notice, but now and again out of the blue comes an extraordinary day with nature asserting herself in all her colourful glory again. Such was the day that inspired these two pieces -  Foggy Dew Shawl and Dew Drop Scarf.

Foggy Dew Shawl

The shawl came first, trying to capture the mist, moisture and contrasting light and shade of a February morning - has to be the morning as by the time you get to lunchtime, it's practically dark, especially in the city. I've been working on a design concept using crescent/fan shapes as building blocks, avoiding the usual modular task of having to sew/crochet/knit them all together at the end. Much as I enjoy the knit process, I'm impatient and can't wait to see the finished product, so anything that saves time and effort I'm all for.

The yarns were all from my stash, leftover from past projects - for the pale grey and jade I used Artesano Inca Mist alpaca; the pale and dark greens and the royal blue were Silk and Ivory's wool/silk mix  and the palest grey was a pure merino. The resulting shawl is just pure luxury to wear, soft as a baby's bottom!

Back view

The crescents create a lovely circular shape which provides great versatility in ways the shawl can be worn.

I finished this one off with a row of double (US single) crochet, but only because I'd cast off in pale grey and thought it needed a darker colour along the edge. If I'd worked the extra couple of rows in blue there would have been no finishing required - always a bonus!

Back view

After I'd finished Foggy Dew, it occurred to me how it could become a scarf if I left out the striped border and crocheted around the outer edge.  So that sparked off Dewdrop, a scarf version, just crying out for a couple of tassels once finished.

Dewdrop Scarf

The scarf version turned out to be just as versatile as the shawl in the many ways it can be worn.

The tassels give it a more oriental sort of feel - like the quayside in Essaouira early in the morning

The colours here are stronger but you can get the drift from the hazy background.

Playing with yarn and colours fascinates me and there's usually a surprise - sometimes a shock - in the way yarn drapes!  As it happens, this was a pleasant surprise!

Back view

Tied at the front, it looks like a little bolero.

I'm right in the groove now with ideas for more crescent knits flowing freely, so watch this space... and don't forget to let me know your what you think, it's always good to get your feedback.

Finally, a little gnome has just told me that spring has definitely sprung - coffee in the garden, can't be bad! x