There's a really interesting window at the Museum of Natural History. We're frequent guests there, roaming around the dinosaur bones, the giant (fake) Wooly Mammoth, the artifacts, bugs and (a favorite of my son's) the huge, creepy octopus. I prefer the room with all the sparkly gems, with the guard who nervously watches the small children running around the Hope Diamond.
The window I'm talking about is the butterfly window. Tucked in a corner behind the bug exhibit, this small area has butterflies in various states of their life cycle. Eggs, caterpillars, pupas (or chrysalis) and finally butterflies. Butterflies are a big deal in our house… Ever read "A Very Hunger Caterpillar" by Eric Carle? We always shout out "a beautiful butterfly!" when we get to the last page (I could recite that book for you, dear readers, we've read it so many times). We also have a butterfly bush in the backyard, whose big, purl flowers attract butterflies of all colors. Sometimes there are so many on the branches that it seems to vibrate.
I recently got my hands on a hank of The Knitting Boutique's Sassafras Worsted, a lovely blend of bamboo and merino, and a hank of Shibui's Silk Cloud, a mohair and silk blend. Held together, you get a beautiful luxury combination of sheen with a slight halo. Yes, please.
Inspired by this stunning yarn combination and the butterflies in our backyard and at the museum, I designed the No Longer A Chrysalis Cowl. With one hank of each yarn held together, the background of reverse stockinette truly makes those butterflies pop. A fun knit with wrapped stitches, pulled up stitches, increases and decreases makes this a great knit for anyone who loves butterflies.
Fly away, friends and get knitting!
Download the No Longer A Chrysalis Cowl pattern here.