Saturday 31 August 2013

Cerris

It
is always a great day when the new season’s Twist Collective comes out and I’m
sure we’re not the only ones who cease all work to pour over each new pattern.
This time, the real icing on the cake was a stunning new shawl design by lace
super designer Susanna IC using Scrumptious 4 ply sport. Once we had stopped gazing
adoringly at the images, we got in contact with Susanna to tell us more about
this yummy design and her crafting career to date.


 

Cerris_a_500
(c) Jane Heller



After
nine years in Europe, Susanna IC now lives in San Antonio with her husband, two
sons, one guinea pig and countless balls of yarn.  She has an
extensive background in studio arts and art history, which inspires much of her
knitting. In addition to many online and print publications, such as
Interweave Knits, Twist Collective, and Knitty, her projects and designs can be
found on Ravelry, and on her website, www.ArtQualia.com.


 


The pattern itself is called Cerris and is a crescent shaped
shawl worked from the scalloped lower edge to the top. It features a wide lace
border worked with your choice of beads or bobbles, and a cabled centre section
shaped with short rows. Quite frankly, we love it.



Cerris_z_500
(c) Jane Heller



The feeling is apparently very mutual as Susanna really
enjoyed Scrumptious yarn. Susanna described her process of working with
Scrumptious as “a great experience”. She said, “the yarn has a
wonderful stitch definition and does not split easily, which was important in
creating the lace and cable textures.  The generous silk content gave
the finished shawls beautiful sheen and drape, while the deep, rich colors
(Cherry and Midnight) were perfect for the two Cerris samples and the
autumn season.” Depending on the size of shawl (small or large), Susanna’s
design requires 1 (2)
skein(s) Fyberspates Scrumptious 4-Ply Sport which comes in 399 yd (365 m) per
100 g skein and is made up of a luscious 45% Silk, 55% Superwash Merino.


 


Susanna
explained her inspiration for the shawl. “In autumn, I love taking long walks
through the forests.  The air feels refreshing after the long, hot
summer and I always find the changing colours of nature inspiring.  I wanted to
create a large and cozy shawl; something to wrap around to keep warm as days
get colder in autumn. Cables combined with lace seemed the perfect pairing
for this project and this textured pattern reminded me of leaves falling from
oak trees - I
find the variety of oak leaf shapes with their wavy edges fascinating.  The
shawl’s name comes directly from the original inspiration as well - ‘Cerris’ is
one of the many oak species.”


 


You can find the Cerris pattern on Twist
Collective here or on Ravelry here. Scrumptious 4 ply is currently in stock
here at the shop. To keep up to date with new patterns in Fyberspates yarn,
please come and join in the chatter on our Ravelry group or like our Facebook
page