Sunday, February 07, 2010
Empress Scarf Designed for “Just Babs”
It isn't often that I accept a design commission because I am busy enough with my own work. But once in a while, an offer comes my way that is just too intriguing.
That was the case with the Empress Scarf project.
Some months ago Jennifer Jett of Woolgirl invited me to design a scarf for a knitting club based on the theme of women in history. The club is called "Just Babs" because it uses exclusively the wonderful hand-dyed yarns of Miss Babs. I was hooked on two counts: the idea of working a design for a famous woman and the prospect of working with Miss Babs yarn which I knew to be luscious and expertly hand-dyed in the most glorious colours.
And when I saw that Jenn had picked Catherine the Great for my "famous woman". Well, how could I say no? This was a chance to combine two of my loves: research and knitting.
So I got to work: researching the story of Catherine the Great and working up some sketches:
And when I received the yarn, working up some swatches and writing the pattern:
Then I sent everything to Jen who arranged for knitters to knit samples and test the pattern at the same time.
I didn't see the end result until just a few days ago. And I was so pleased to see how well the design worked with the yarn. While also reflecting something of the regal sumptuousness of the Empress of Russia.
For now, this pattern is available only from Woolgirl as a kit. Only a certain number are available and I don't know if Woolgirl has any left. But you can contact them to find out. Other kits from the "Just Babs: Women in History" club, especially those which have not yet been released, are still available.
Thanks, Jen, for inviting me to be one of the mystery designers in the "Just Babs" knitting club.
It was fun!
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