Today I am publishing a new “old” pattern. Solstice was originally published in June 2023 as part of the Knit Picks pattern book, Botanical Knits. Solstice Revisited is a reworking of the original pattern, giving more options for yarn weights and neck sizing whilst retaining the essential airiness of Solstice. The original Solstice was a lovely floaty shawl, with a wide neck that made it easy to slip over your head on cooler summer evenings. It was knit in laceweight yarn for a light and airy take-anywhere accessory. The very wide boat-shaped neck, however, was not practical for an all-seasons pattern. So I have revisited the design, and tweaked it to appeal to both hemispheres and all seasons. This new version can be knit in a variety of yarn weights, from lace to DK, and features three neck circumferences.
size
neck circumference
lace
light fingering/ sock
4ply/fingering
DK
1
60 cm / 24”
1,060 m / 1,160 yds
1,085 m / 1,187 yds
1,000 m / 1,094 yds
776 m / 849 yds
2
65 cm / 26”
1,090 m / 1,193 yds
1,120 m / 1,226 yds
1,035 m/ 1,133 yds
880 m / 963 yds
3
75 cm / 30”
1,117 m / 1,222 yds
1,150 m / 1,259 yds
1,056 m / 1,156 yds
880 m / 963 yds
Eden Cottage Milburn DK in ThymeHolst Garn Tides light fingering in OrchidScheepjes Woolly Whirl 4ply in Melting Mint Centre
Solstice looks lovely in a gradient, as seen in the 4ply/fingering version in Scheepjes Woolly Whirl, colourway Melting Mint Centre.
Snaeldan Lace in dark grey
Solstice Revisited is available in the Granary Knits store on both Ravelry and Payhip.
Whatever your craft, specialist tools and materials are essential. Quilters need thread, fabric, cutting tools; card makers need paper, scissors, knives, adhesives; and knitters need yarn and needles. Some knitters are focussed on each pattern or project, buy just the yarn required for the project and use it all up, leaving no “waste”. Others, like me, buy yarn without a thought as to its purpose, other than “ooh that would look lovely as a shawl”. Consequently, I have a lot of yarn – and I do mean a lot – sitting in storage boxes and chests of drawers, just waiting for the perfect project to come along.
For the last couple of years I have been making a conscious effort to use only stash yarn for anything I want to make. I have a queue of patterns waiting to be made and I promised myself I would make only those I could find yarn for in my stash. The results so far are mixed! Some patterns, like Ranunculus, instantly lent themselves to being made in a couple of balls of yarn from the depths of my stash. Others, such as The Weekender, I eventually had to buy yarn for.
But all is not lost, because making these patterns in the yarns I chose gave me a renewed interest in the yarns themselves, leading to ideas for using yarn from stash to make meaningful knitted objects. These cowls represent some of the ideas generated by the deepest of stash, yarns I have been hoarding for well over ten years, waiting for the chance to make them shine.
I love Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweeds yarns, in both Aran weight and 4ply. With its rich colours and fabulous flecks, a lot of it has found its way into my stash over the years. I have used both weights in these cowl designs, but you don’t have to – anything you have in your stash of the appropriate weight can be used.
Similarly, for the laceweight fluffy yarn, I have used several types to illustrate their value to these designs. I very much like the Silk-Alpaca laceweight by Kremke Soul Wool; it feels so soft and doesn’t shed all over your clothes as you work with it! Modern day silk-mohair yarns similarly are easy and pleasant to work with. I used both Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Debbie Bliss Angel in the designs below. A little of these yarns goes a very long way when working at a large gauge, making the cowls economical and quick to knit.
All four patterns feature resizeable options and ideas for adapting to your yarn quantities. All four are available individually and as a collection on both Ravelry and Payhip.
Airy
The first of my experiments in stashbusting designs is Airy, a cowl that uses both a standard 4ply/fingering weight yarn for strength and a fluffy laceweight silk mohair yarn for warmth and texture. Airy is very simple, can be made in any 4ply/sock/fingering/light fingering yarn, with the addition of a little silk-mohair or other fluffy laceweight. The effect is stylish, light and airy (as the name implies), great for spring or autumn days to give a little extra warmth, and knits up to any size you want quickly.
Toasty is another great stashbusting cowl, warm and cosy, and is even quicker to knit than Airy. It is a funnel-neck cowl, knit in Aran weight/worsted weight yarn held double with the silk mohair laceweight. I used silk-alpaca laceweight for one of my samples and it is dreamily soft. Two sizes are given in the pattern, depending on whether you like your funnel-neck to be close or more relaxed.
Another 4ply/fingering cowl, this time using a simple mosaic pattern to create a bubbly texture of silk mohair lace framed by the 4ply yarn. Another cowl that is easy to resize and make in any length, from short neck covering to long snood.
I love the Old Shale pattern (known in the US as Feather and Fan), and very much wanted to use it in a cowl. Wavy is the result. It can be made in any weight yarn, although 4ply + laceweight looks and feels most appealing to me.
Samhain (pronounced Sa-win, /ˈsɑːwɪn/) is the first of the Celtic/Pagan Sabbats or festivals in the great Wheel of the Year, ever turning. It is the celebration of Autumn’s End occurring on 31 October/1 November. The veil between the worlds is thin at this time, the year is dying.
Samhain is the name of a traditional Gaelic festival held around 1 November. The name and date were adopted by Wiccans for one of their four Greater Sabbats. It closely matches Halloween (31 October) and the two festivals are intertwined. For Wiccans, Samhain is a time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died. Aligned with the contemporary observance of Halloween and Day of the Dead, in some traditions the spirits of the departed are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festival of darkness, which is balanced at the opposite point of the Wheel by the festival of Beltane, which is celebrated as a festival of light and fertility.
Samhain is a time for bonfires, honouring the ancestors, and for contemplation when entering the quiet part of the year. A time when the earth sleeps and humans (and animals) need warmth and shelter. A snug triangular shawl or cowl will keep you warm until the year turns and the earth awakens.
My interpretation of Samhain is of simplicity. It can be made as a cowl, using a single precious skein of 4ply/fingering yarn, or as a shawl. It can be knit in any weight of yarn, and can be made as long as you wish. As befits the time of the year, it gives warmth where it is needed. I chose reds and oranges for my samples, as well as a light grey reminiscent of the mists of Autumn. It can be worn any way you like, casually tied or fastened with a favourite brooch or shawl pin.
It can be knit in any weight yarn, in any type of yarn, in one colour or two. It is a warm double-thickness fabric using an interesting construction, with a simple but effective shape.
Annat Royd is the third in my Yorkshire Collection of shawls and related accessories. It is a huge hug of a shawl, based on the triangular shape and knit in 4ply/fingering yarn. I chose two lovely non-superwash woolly yarns for my samples.
Annat Royd 2-triangle shawl in Birlinn Haar
The first is a straightforward triangular shawl knit in Birlinn 4ply 100% wool yarn, from the beautiful island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides. It is a robust yarn which is a joy to knit with; it gives great stitch definition, essential for all-over lace patterns such as Annat Royd. I chose the colour Haar, a pale grey flecked with darker strands, perfectly named for the sea mist rolling in from the Atlantic.
The second sample is a three-triangle shawl, which has a square profile. For this shawl, I chose the beautiful Doulton Border Leicester 100% Border Leicester 4ply yarn in the rich purple colourway, Hawnby Hill. I love this yarn, not only for its lovely stitch definition, but because the flock has a no-kill policy, meaning the sheep get to grow old and live out their lives on the farm. This is a shawl to snuggle up with on a cold winter’s evening.
3-triangle shawl in Doulton Border Leicester Hawnby Hill
The European Swift is a much loved visitor to the UK, but one which is sadly in decline. This tam pattern celebrates swifts wheeling over the English countryside in summer, an iconic sight and sound. I have chosen a monochrome palette for this tam; you could use bright or muted colours. Instructions are given for four sizes, to fit small, medium narrow, medium wide, or large. The narrow and wide sizes refer to how full the tam part of the hat is. This tam is roomy and warm.
Suggested yarn: Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift; 4ply; 100% wool; 105 m/ 115 yds per 25 g / 0.88 oz ball: 1 or 2 balls of each colour, depending upon size. Sample shown in 104 Natural White and 126 Charcoal.
Small, medium narrow, medium wide, large, to fit head circumferences 54 cm (58 cm, 58 cm, 62 cm) / approx. 21 ¼” (23”, 23”, 24 ½”) at the brim. Finished sizes at the brim, unstretched, 45 cm (49 cm, 49 cm, 52 cm) / approx. 17 ¾” (19 ¼”, 19 ¼”, 20 ½”).
Needles: circular needles or DPNs, sizes 2.75 mm [UK/Can size 12, US size 2] and 3.25 mm [UK/Can size 10, US size 3].
The Swifts Tam pattern is available from the Granary Knits Payhip Store. There is a 25% discount on all tams, just enter coupon code Tam25 at checkout.
This tam features some of the myriad patterns seen in the feathers of the female pheasant. Often overlooked because of their shy nature and outshone by the more flamboyant colouring of the male, these beautiful pheasants inhabit my garden all year round and are a constant source of delight and inspiration. Instructions are given for four sizes, to fit small, medium narrow, medium wide, or large. The narrow and wide sizes refer to how full the tam part of the hat is. This tam is roomy and warm.
Suggested yarn: Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift; 4ply; 100% wool; 105 m/ 115 yds per 25 g / 0.88 oz ball: 1 or 2 balls of each colour, sample shown in 106 Mooskit and 246 Wren, depending upon size.
Sizes: Small, medium narrow, medium wide, large, to fit head circumferences 54 cm (58 cm, 58 cm, 62 cm) / approx. 21 ¼” (23”, 23”, 24 ½”) at the brim. Finished sizes at the brim, unstretched, 45 cm (49 cm, 49 cm, 52 cm) / approx. 17 ¾” (19 ¼”, 19 ¼”, 20 ½”).
The sinuous pattern and lacy “head” for this hat was developed during my City and Guilds Handknit textiles course, and originally formed part of a table runner. But the image of the snake’s head would not lie still, and eventually I had to turn it into a wearable accessory.
Aran, DK and 4ply hats
The result is a cosy beanie/toque style hat, which can be knit in fingering/4ply, DK, or aran/worsted weight yarns, in a large range of sizes. I knit the samples in 3 different blends of wonderful Blacker yarns – Lyonesse 4ply, Tamar DK, and North Ronaldsay Aran.
