 |
| The best gardens seem to have secret doors! |
Some places are full of patterns and shapes, and cannot help but to inspire creativity.
Lanhydrock, National Trust stately home and gardens, set in lush green parkland, is one such place. As soon as I first visited and saw the formal gardens, abundant floral borders, and neat topiary I thought 'shawl design'!
I got to work, settling on some beautiful 4 ply from my stash, and after a bit of thinking and scribbling on graph paper, this design was born: the
Lanhydrock Shawl.
 |
| Lanhydrock Shawl in situ... |
I really wanted to make use of the formal, symmetrical garden layout in the lace motifs I picked, as well as those giant topiary trees. As in real life, the edge of my Lanhydrock is fringed by a wilder border area.
 |
| ...inspired by the formal gardens... |
I used a full 400m of Artesano Alpaca Silk 4 ply, in shade 'Dolphin'. The shawl is knitted from a tab cast on, and the trim is knitted on, making use of optional beads (mainly to help with blocking).
 |
| ...patterns are everywhere... |
I put the pattern out to test, and have had some really useful feedback, which has helped me refine the pattern quite a lot. Many thanks to all of my test knitters- your shawls look amazing and I really appreciate your patience!
 |
| ...the shawl is symmetrical... |
I am offering my blog readers 25% off the price of this pattern until September 10th, using the code 'pixieblog'- simply enter it at the checkout on
ravelry and your discount should appear.
 |
| Cornish blue to reflect the sky |
 |
| ...everybody loves discount! |
I have a few more designs in the pipeline- I can't help but be inspired by beautiful Cornwall! Most of them need to be tested. Do let me know if you are interested in test knitting!
