So in Love

I know as parents we’re not supposed to play favorites. As a designer, does the same rule apply, or am I allowed to play favorites? Because, knitters, I have a new favorite.

When I took my new design, Ambarine, off the blocking board and put it on, I was immediately smitten. I mean, I designed it, so I knew I would like it. It checks all the buttons for me: symmetry, geometry, and unusual construction. Check, check, check. I’d knit large swatches (several of them), and blocked them, so I had a very good idea of how the yarn would behave, and the shape and size to which it would block out. I designed it (and redesigned it a few times) so that it would be just exactly what I wanted it to be.

But when I put it on, it was all that and more. It sat just so. The front of the wrap is compelling. There’s a certain spot where all the sections — the crazy, modular-knit sections that I took such care figuring the size and the shape of — line up beautifully. They radiate outward from the front center point, giving a slight illusion of the wrap being a short-sleeved cardigan. I knew I wanted a shawl pin there, giving the suggestion of a button. Luckily I have shawl pins. Yep, that was just right. I didn’t want to want to take it off.

The yarn, Invictus Yarns Poetry, is a 50/50 silk and merino blend. It was a delight to knit up, soft and flowy in the hands. I already knew from my swatches that it was going to be drapey in the final product. But the fabric exceeded all expectations. Whisper-soft and light as a feather, I want this next to my skin as often as I can manage it.

I’m imagining myself wearing this everywhere. I want to take it on trips to foreign lands. Need a shawl to cover my shoulders in the great cathedrals of Europe? Check. Need to dress up my sundress for cocktails on the deck of a boat? On it. Want it to masquerade as a scarf to add a bit of color to my business attire? It’s got that covered, as well. Never mind that I haven’t been anywhere but my house for the last 18 months. Suddenly I’m planning to take Ambarine on a honeymoon.

If you are smitten, too, the pattern for Ambarine is now available for purchase on the Patterns page of my website, through Payhip and Ravelry, or as part of a kit through the Louisiana Yarn Guys.