By my rather slow standards it was quite a quick knit - about three weeks from start to finish for the knitting. And then it sat - or rather tried to hide itself in gathering shame in my knitting basket - for about three months, waiting to be blocked. Initially the delay was caused by having to find a satisfactory method of blocking with my new shiny parquet floors. But it's now some time since I braved Bunnings and purchased the necessary foam blocking squares. Since then I've simply had blocking block. But it's nearing the time when I'll do my yearly knitting stocktake and I fear I'll be embarrassed by my meagre output this year. Finishing the Daybreak shawl will at least add another project to the yearly total.
The Daybreak shawl was one of the first designs by emerging knitting star Stephen West to become popular. Stephen West has found a niche in the knitting pattern market with casual, unisex scarves, shawls and hats that lend themselves to inventive combinations of patterns and colour.
I wasn't particularly inventive with my colour combination, but I love the shawl anyway.
I started with a ball of Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball in rust and grey colours that I'd bought on a visit to Cologne earlier this year. I found it was a perfect match for some Malabrigo merino sock yarn in Botticelli Red that I purchased in Brisbane (I have a compulsive attraction to this yarn in this colour). Yarns with such good provenance! As I was contorting myself to try to take the necessary 'wearing shawl' photos above, I inadvertently used a painting on my living room wall as background, and then decided to more purposefully photograph the two together. Aren't they a perfect match?
The painting, by the way, is a very large 'Honey Ant Dreaming' by Jimmy Robertson Tjampitjinpa from the Lajamanu area of the Central Desert in Australia.
I can't imagine a more Australian combination of colours. I think this will become known as my Central Desert Shawl.
6 comments:
I think the result is stunning and your colour choice inspired.
It's lovely, Lyn. Well done. And I like the painting too!
Looks great against the painting, and your Daybreak looks lovely Lyn :)
That is beautiful!! I have a finished shawl that just needs to be blocked. You have inspired me!
I love that it is your Central Australia shawl via Germany and Brisbane! It looks fantastic, the yarns are perfect together.
it is just fantastic. the colour combos are perfect, and so evocative. really great work lyn!
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