light fingering – Granary Knits

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

Solstice looks lovely in a gradient, as seen in the 4ply/fingering version in Scheepjes Woolly Whirl, colourway Melting Mint Centre.

Solstice Revisited is available in the Granary Knits store on both Ravelry and Payhip.

Ostara is the fourth festival in the Wheel of the Year. It falls on the Northern Hemisphere’s Spring Equinox, 20th March, and is also the celebration of Oestre, the goddess of fertility. Spring has arrived in the UK, leaves have appeared on many trees and shrubs, and daffodils are nodding in Spring breezes.

Ostara the shawl begins at the bottom left hand angle of a square and increases along the diagonal, the hypotenuse, with two halves of very different patterning, reflecting the equality of night and day. As it slowly grows, the leaves emerge along one edge and flowers begin to dot one half of the shawl. Folded along the centre spine it forms a warm layered shawl, opened out it becomes a lighter airy accessory for sunnier Spring days. I have chosen a lovely blend of wool and silk for this shawl, in a vibrant Spring green. Ostara can be blocked as a square, a rectangle, or a parallelogram. It can be worn in several ways: folded as a triangle along the diagonal centre stitch to show the flower side or the garter side; folded as a triangle across the diagonal to show one half flowers and one half garter; folded across the middle to make a narrower rectangle.

Ostara is an adaptable shawl, can be made to any size you choose, from a small square to a large enveloping folded triangle. Size is adjusted by repeating the main 24-row pattern; the sample shown, for instance, consists of a setup section followed by 11 repeats of the main section, and was blocked into a rectangle to give a shawl 137 cm/54 ¾” x 115 cm / 46”.

This construction lends itself readily to adaptation, and I have included, as a separate file, a lapghan pattern of the same construction but knit at a large gauge in bulky wool.

This pattern has been fully professionally tech edited, but has not been test knit except by me. Full pattern support is available by email.

Ostara is available to buy in the Granary Knits Payhip Store and Ravelry Store.