About this time last year, I decided to create four colorways inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I listened carefully to the music and also thought about the seasons themselves and how best to dye the colorways to match the seasons. The colorways form a complex gradient. Each season gets darker but also contains some of the same colors from the last season.

After I dyed the colorways, I started thinking about designing a shawl pattern to go with it using stitch motifs that represent each season. For spring, there’s a flower motif, for summer there are blackberries, for autumn there are falling leaves, and for winter there are snowflakes.

After working on the design for several months, I’m pleased to announce that it’s ready to go! It’s a big, cozy boomerang shawl that starts with just a few stitches and increases two stitches along one edge while decreasing one stitch along the other edge. Here’s the shawl:

Here’s a closeup of the motifs from each season:

I designed the shawl for DK-weight yarn. I used Buttery Soft DK, which is made of baby alpaca, silk, and untreated merino. If you prefer the safety of superwash and slightly brighter colors, Squoosh DK would also work really well.

That said, it’s very easy to adapt the design to different yarn weights. The only change you’ll need to make is the needle size.

I have the Four Seasons Shawl pattern available by itself right here.

I also have kits available with all four skeins and the pattern together right here. The pattern is included at no additional cost with the four skeins.

If you’d like to order the Vivaldi’s Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter one at a time, you can find them individually right here. I dyed up some of each on Buttery Soft DK and Squoosh DK this week, and there’s more available dyed to order.

On a related note, if you bought the Four Seasons Set from me in the past, I’d like to send you the Four Seasons Shawl pattern at no cost. Just email me and let me know if you’d prefer a simple PDF or if you’d like me to send it to your Ravelry library.

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More Minis

Last month I made some fun mini skein sets on Stained Glass Fingering, but they sold out rather quickly. I dyed up some more sets this week, so if they sold out before you got one, they’re available once again. Here are the three colorway sets:

You can find all three sets in the Kits and Sets section of my shop right here. I don’t anticipate making more anytime soon, so if this is something you would like, you might want to nab one soon.

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Kristin Lavransdatter

After rereading Kristin Lavransdatter once again, I decided it was time to bring back my Kristin Lavransdatter colorway. I love the book so much and the character of Kristin who is exasperating but also brave, dedicated, and even heroic. If you’ve never read this classic by Sigrid Undset, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Here’s a link to the more modern translation. If you get the audiobook, you can craft while you listen.

Anyway, I gave the colorway a bit of an update and made it a tad brighter. Here it is on So Silky Sock:

You can find it both in stock on So Silky Sock and dyed to order on any yarn base right here.

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Getting Ready for Snowmageddon

All of Texas is in an uproar about the sleet and snow coming this weekend. I’m sure those of you who live further north have to chuckle a bit because here even a couple inches of snow shuts everything down. The real problem is that ice sometimes breaks the power lines, and at an expected low of 12 degrees, that is indeed a legitimate concern. All that said, we have gloves and coats and hats and wood for the fireplace. The kids are excited to get to play in the snow, and my hope is that we do get some real snow and nobody loses their power. If we lose our power and I can’t respond to your emails or get the mail out, just know that everything should be back to normal by Tuesday.

Have a great weekend!