Rosalind & Ivy
We are excited to release two patterns we have been working on for a while. Some of you might recognize these from one of our past show displays or maybe when they were still on our needles.
Both patterns are now available on our Ravelry Pattern Store and we will have both samples with us at Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival.
The first pattern is Rosalind Recognized. This pattern is a fingering weight shawl featuring openwork cables and lace netting. It features both written instructions and lace charts that are worked in both directions. This pattern is our way of recognizing the important contributions of Rosalind Franklin to modern science.
Rosalind Franklin was an English Chemist whose work in X-ray crystallography was instrumental in the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is due to her work, which showed DNA to be helical in nature, that the Watson and Crick team were able to develop their model of the structure of DNA. She was never nominated for a Nobel Prize, neither for her contribution to the work of Watson and Crick, nor her contributions to x-ray crystallography.
The finished shawl will have seven openwork cables representing the double helical model of DNA. Each cable is worked to have 23 crosses to symbolize the chromosomes in the human genome. The shawl’s edging contains three lace blocks with a simple solid and void motif that is reminiscent of Franklin’s team’s famous x-ray diffraction image - Photo 51 - that influenced the work of the Watson and Crick team.
Now through December 31, 2018 - we will gift through ravelry a free copy of this pattern to anyone who purchases three skeins or more of Franklin Fingering from our website or in person from us at one of our upcoming events. This copy will be sent to the email address used when purchasing, unless otherwise noted during the checkout process.
We also released a free pattern - Hedera helix (English Ivy). This pattern is a jumbo weight cowl (Curie Lux Bulky held double) featuring seven unique cable worked in the round. It is a quick knit and features both written instructions and charts.
This pattern is named for the plant Hedera helix (common name: English Ivy) which is an evergreen flowering and fruiting vine common to Europe and Western Asia. It is a common ornamental plant in Europe commonly seen in gardens growing on buildings and other structures. In addition to its ornamental use it has been used medicinally to treat cough and bronchitis and its extracts are still used in modern cough medicines.
The finished cowl will have seven unique cables that twist and turn against a background of perl stitches that provide a very structured shape, reminiscent of how English Ivy climbs trees, building, and other structures.
