One of my favorite family vacations was the trip we took to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway in the summer of 2016. You feel the history and pride of these countries that are so much older than the United States. The buildings and culture are ancient, in some cases mysterious, and the textiles? I could (and did) stare at them all day long. I took thousands of photos and will always draw inspiration from that wonderful adventure.
I have a folder on my desktop called "homeless knitting charts" with dozens upon dozens of charts I've drawn but don't know what they're going to be yet. Sometimes I go diving into that file and find a chart I've made and I picture the scene in Toy Story with the claw machine and the aliens saying, "I have been chosen!" Sometimes I gather multiple charts and combine them, tweaking them to work together until they are very different from the original idea. Some charts upon later inspection are dragged right into the trash. Each new design has its own unique design process.
Using 2 colors of Biscotte Yarns super soft 90% merino superwash/10% silk DK Pure yarn in an earthy gray and deep red, the Blomst Cowl is inspired by Danish textiles using multiple flower ideas I had been futzing with for a while. I decided they needed to be married together and the result is a graphic and modern ode to Danish florals. The palette is a twist on their flag colors of bright red and white and the flowers remind me of our afternoon in Tivoli Gardens watching peacocks, riding the carousel, walking beneath the twinkle lights, and playing on the best playground I have ever seen.
Knitting up on US 6 (4mm) needles, the Blomst Cowl is a Fair Isle design worked in the round from the bottom up. Sandwiched between my favorite corrugated ribbing, the 2 floral designs play off one another in scale, and I could easily see this knitting up using stash with each section being a different combination of colors. Yellow and blue? Green and pink? Black and white? Pink and gray? Ohhh, I may have to knit another of these for myself using all the colors!
Roomy in size, this cowl is a transition piece for your wardrobe, designed to keep you warm on frigid days or those strange days we seem to be into now when you start with 20 layers and end up peeling them off as the day goes on. With its lovely drape thanks to the superwash/silk combination and soft fiber, this cowl reminds me of our trip and I feel wrapped in memories, wishing for springtime.
Download the Blomst Cowl here.