Like many young girls, I was convinced that I'd grow up and be a ballerina. I'd live a glamorous life by day, have the best posture, then dance away the evenings on stage in front of thousands.
That didn't happen.
I started ballet classes when I was 3, wore my first pointe shoes at 10 and our Christmas holidays revolved around my Boston Ballet Nutcracker schedule. Dancing was in my soul and I loved it. My ballet dreams died for good when I was 16 and had knee surgery, but I will always love the movement, the feeling conveyed with a simple flick of the leg, the sheer grace and beauty of it and the commitment of the dancers to their art and bodies.
I designed the Coppelia Cowl originally for the 40th anniversary of Webs. Delighted to be invited to be part of a fantastic group of designers, I knew I wanted to design a lace cowl that reminded me of my many years of ballet. This stunning lace pattern is for lace knitters ready to step their game up. Bringing to mind swirling tutus, pink satin ribbons and movement, it has no resting rows and is an exciting knit! Redesigned in a DK weight, the purple version is knit in Sweetgeorgia Merino Silk DK in Mist, with the pink version knit up in Madelinetosh Merino Light in Byzantine.
Named for my favorite ballet, Coppélia concerns an inventor, Dr Coppelius, who has made a life-size dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Franz, a village swain, becomes infatuated with it and sets aside his true heart's desire, Swanhilde. She shows him his folly by dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to life and ultimately saving him from an untimely end at the hands of the inventor. It premiered on 25 May 1870 at the Théâtre Impérial l'Opéra, and is one of the most popular ballets of all time.
The Coppelia Cowl is now available to all. There's a little bit of dancer in all of us, so wear your cowl with a skip in your step!
Coppelia can be downloaded here.