Spring has arrived in Helsinki with a handful of beautiful days. However, it hasn’t been all sun. We just made it through a long week of overcast skies and periods of rain. This kind of weather has me thinking more about future autumn knits rather than the summer sewing projects that I should be planning now. Perhaps, it wouldn’t hurt to have both kinds of projects on the go.
At the end of April, Laine released their latest knitting and crochet anthology, 52 Weeks of Shawls. Much like their first one, 52 Weeks of Socks, this new collection provides you with many scarves, shawls and cowls to knit and love for years to come. It was in May of 2020, when I found out that my submission for this collection had been selected. In this post, I will share the inspiration behind my contribution, Windgate.
Image from Pinterest.
Image from Pinterest.
Image from Pinterest.
Image from Pinterest.
Laine’s mood board for this project was full of textures and natural colours. The four images pictured above, were the first ones to spark my interest and what I chose to focus on. I wanted to submit a design that was highly textural and that also reflected both Laine and myself. I drew inspiration from the all-over repeating patterns with horizontal and vertical lines plus the photos of naturally aged wood.
For me personally, I love simple, yet textural stitch patterns to keep me busy throughout the evenings. There is comfort in making repetitive movements, especially while working on larger projects that starts to cover my lap as they grow, keeping me warm, even before they are off the needles. I felt this piece incorporated a simple and captivating rhythm while creating a luscious fabric that you cannot wait to squeeze between your fingers and wrap around your shoulders. With all this in mind, the idea for Windgate slowly started to form.
Original sketch.
The all-over stitch pattern is a combination of fisherman’s ribbing with columns of garter stitch in between. This gives an accordion-like texture to the finished fabric. Due to the nature of this stitch pattern, the shawl is almost entirely reversible. After finishing the shawl, I added tiny tassels to the edge - because why not?!
As for construction, this shawl starts with the maximum number of stitches on the needle with decreases made every forth row, making the rows shorter and quicker as you work. The final shape is a large asymmetrical triangle.
For a different look, the tassels can be left off. Another variation that can be made, is to alter the size of the shawl. Windgate can easily be made larger or smaller by adding or subtracting repeats. Plus a thicker yarn, like a DK weight, can be used instead of combining the suggested 4ply yarn with a strand of mohair silk lace. I used the two yarns together; the addition of the mohair creates a soft, pillowy fabric, complimenting the ridged lines and sharp angles in the body of the shawl. However, I cannot wait to see what you come up with!
Original sketch.
Original swatch.
Before I started to gather ideas for this submission, I received an email from Sigrid Kopp, the dyer behind Wilde Seele, asking if I was interesting in collaborating by using her yarns for one of my designs. I first got to know Sigrid when she volunteered to test knit my Woodbine sweater. Woodbine was previously released in Laine’s Issue 9, in which she used her own naturally dyed yarn for her beautiful version. As I looked at her page, I knew there were many blends that I would be interested in using.
I was eager to recommend Wilde Seele for Windgate and thrilled that Laine liked the suggestion as well. I passed along my submission to Sigrid and let her propose possible yarns and colours. We settled on the Corridale Sock Twist paired with Kid Mohair and Mulberry Silk, both in the Silverlining colourway. All of the yarns at Wilde Seele are naturally dyed in Germany.
I still have some left-over yarn from my Windgate sample and am hoping to use it for a small pair of fingerless mitts. I am thinking of something with a similar texture so I can have a matching set to go with the shawl. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.
Yarns from Wilde Seele arriving.
Winding up Corridale Sock Twist.
For Windgate, I had a group of excellent test knitters who helped finalize the pattern. As test knitters, they have the choice of what yarns they would like to use for their own samples. I always love seeing the new colours and combinations of yarns that are picked. Below you’ll find the links to their projects on Instagram. Test knitter, a_x_taro, used another colour combination from Wilde Seele, while other test knitters chose different brands to work with.
I also want to mention that more projects of Windgate can be found on Ravelry. However, due to recent changes to their website, many users are finding Ravelry difficult or impossible to use without developing migraines and other symptoms. My patterns can still be found on Ravelry but I will be making an effort not to share screenshots from the website. If I add any links to Ravelry, I will also include a reminder to let you know that this is where you will be directed.
The whole collection of 52 Weeks of Shawls is easy to fall in love with. If you would like to read more about Windgate and view the rest of the collection on Laine’s website, click here. The book can be purchased through Laine’s webshop or check out their list of stockists for a retailer near you. The book is also available in Finnish under the name, 52 x villahuivit.
If you would like to view Windgate and other projects on Ravelry, click here.
Photography by Laine.
Photography by Laine.
Windgate Details
One Size
Length: 69.5” / 177 cm.
Deepest Point: 35.75” / 91 cm.
Yarn: 3 skeins of Corriedale Sock Twist by Wilde Seele (100% Corriedale wool, 437 yds / 400 m – 100 g), colourway Silverlining as Yarn A.
3 skeins of Kid Mohair and Mulberry Silk by Wilde Seele (70% kid mohair, 30% mulberry silk, 459 yds / 420 m – 50 g), colourway Silverlining as Yarn B.
Or approx. 1000 yds / 910 m of both yarn A and B, or one thicker yarn to obtain gauge.
Extra yarn for tassels (optional). Approx. 26 yds / 24 m used for 19 tassels that measure 2.25” / 6 cm.
Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm 32” / 80 cm circular needles.
Notions: Tapestry needle.
Thank You
Publisher: Laine Publishing, @laine_magazine
Model: Haliz Yosef, @halizyo
Photography by: Jonna Hietala, @jonnahoo & Sini Kramer, @sinikramer
Yarn Support: Wilde Seele, @wildeseele