Tag: Yorkshire Collection

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Annat Royd Shawl

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 downloadable pdf pattern for Annat Royd is available from both Ravelry and the Granary Knits Payhip Store.

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The Yorkshire Collection

For over a year now, I have been working on a collection of shawls and related accessories inspired by the Yorkshire countryside in which I live. It has been a magical experience, exploring my surroundings and being enthused by the landscape. The first two shawls in this collection, Harden Moss and Whitley Common, are available now, with more to come.

Harden Moss was inspired by the shapes of reservoirs in the High Peak District of Derbyshire and West Yorkshire. These typically have a distinct wide dam wall at one end gradually narrowing to a point, reflecting the shape of the valley that was flooded to create them. There are many such reservoirs dotted about all over the Peak District, varying in size from a small tarn to an entire rift such as Longdendale, flooded to provide water to local communities. This simple scrunchy garter shawl, worked sideways in a hazy laceweight yarn on very large needles, is quick to work, and the allover pattern of eyelets is easy to memorise. The pattern is available in the Granary Knits Payhip store and on Ravelry.

Whitley Common is a light capelet perfect for a summer wedding shawl. It’s shape is three-quarters-pi, and is covered in a graduated pattern of zigzags which mimics the many becks, streams, and rivulets that cover the heathery landscape. These lacy rivulets culminate in a border of flower motifs to represent the beautiful cotton grass that covers the common in summer. The pattern is available in the Granary Knits Payhip store and on Ravelry.

Whitley Common
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Harden Moss Shawl

Harden Moss is the second in my Yorkshire Collection of patterns for shawls and other accessories. I am deeply inspired by the landscape around my home, and this collection of knitting patterns is my way of describing and celebrating the beautiful Yorkshire landscape that surrounds me. The Collection consists of shawls, wraps, and even a cowl, inspired by the rich textures and colours of the area around my home. The patterns vary in difficulty from beginner to more experienced knitter, but none, I hope, is too complicated. They are designed with chart knitting in mind, one pattern at least consists of one very large chart, but I have provided computer-generated written instructions as well.

Sometimes the shape of an area has inspired the shawl design, sometimes the movement of the air over the landscape. Harden Moss was inspired by the shapes of reservoirs in the High Peak District of Derbyshire and West Yorkshire. These typically have a distinct wide dam wall at one end then gradually narrow, reflecting the shape of the valley that was flooded to create them. There are many such reservoirs dotted about all over the Peak District, varying in size from a small tarn to an entire rift such as Longdendale, flooded to provide water to local communities.

This shawl is knit in a lofty laceweight yarn on large needles, making it a quick but satisfying project. I used Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but there are many other similar yarns that will give you excellent results. Consult Yarnsub for a list of these. As always, when substituting yarn, be sure to knit a swatch to check that you are able to get the right gauge for the pattern.

Rowan Kidsilk Haze, samples in Ghost (left) and Alhambra (right)

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

Harden Moss Shawl pattern can be purchased from the Granary Knits Payhip store.

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Whitley Common Shawl

Whitley Common is the first in my Yorkshire Collection of patterns for shawls and other accessory. I am deeply inspired by the landscape around my home, and this collection of knitting patterns is my way of describing and celebrating the beautiful Yorkshire landscape that surrounds me. It consists of shawls, wraps, and even a cowl, inspired by the rich textures and colours of the area around my home. The patterns vary in difficulty from beginner to more experienced knitter, but none, I hope, is too complicated. They are designed with chart knitting in mind, one pattern at least consists of one very large chart, but I have provided computer-generated written instructions as well.

Sometimes the shape of an area has inspired the shawl design, sometimes the movement of the air over the landscape. Whitley Common was inspired by the high moors around my home, with their dry stone walls, streams, becks and dykes, and their distinctive heather and cottongrass landscape. This three-quarters pi shawl is knit in laceweight yarn; it looks especially good in hand dyed laceweight, such as the Ripplescraft Suilven shown in the brown variegated sample. The white sample is a luxurious undyed silk and linen mix, making it a beautiful wedding capelet.

For the two samples shown, I used: Solstice Yarns Persuasion Lace; 65% linen 35% silk; 800 m/ 875 yds per 100g / 3.53 oz skein; 1 skein in natural; or Ripplescraft Suilven Lace; 60% merino, 20% silk, 20% yak; 800 m/ 875 yds per 100g / 3.53 oz skein; 1 skein in Lochan in the Hills colourway.

Solstice Yarns Persuasion Lace in Natural
Ripplescraft Suilven Lace in Lochan in the Hills

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

Whitley Common can be knit in any lace weight yarn. The Solstice Yarns Persuasion Lace is a robust yarn which keeps its shape beautifully once blocked; the Ripplescraft variegated yarn, being predominantly wool, will contract slightly once blocked and dry. Both yarns have exceptional drape and lustre. As always, when substituting yarn, be sure to knit a swatch to check that you are able to get the right gauge for the pattern. Suggested yarn substitutes can be found at https://yarnsub.com/

Whitley Common Shawl pattern can be purchased from the Granary Knits Payhip store.