I have been so dog-gone anxious to write this post! I can finally share with you my absolute delight at being featured on the cover of the latest issue of Interweave Knits! I am so very honored to be among such talented contributors and so blessed to have be treated so graciously by editor Meghan Babin and her colleagues Sarah Rothberg and Gus Baxter. My sincerest thanks to the entire crew at Interweave Knits for such a happy, smooth and joyful journey from start to finish. Many thanks to Harper Point Photography and Interweave Knits for the beautiful photographs and for permission to use them here. And of course, deep, deep thanks to Christine F. who used her wonderful talents to help me with the knitting of this great big project. I’m a lucky, lucky knitter, and a very happy one indeed!
Let me share a little about the project, the Astral Road Ruana. I was so happy to learn that Team Interweave had taken Astral Road to TNNA this spring where it made its runway debut. I’d just arrived at Ottawa’s Wool-Tyme to teach a class in sock making, when one of the lovely ladies mentioned to me that she’d seen it at the show! (Shock, disbelief and a great big smile 🙂
First, the yarn: the divine Woolstok by Blue Sky Fibers in Color 1307 Pressed Grapes. This is an extremely rich 100% wool, buttery soft and twisted to perfection. Its fantastic stitch definition was perfect for Astral Road’s many cables. Plump and cozy, this handsome worsted weight is available in a range of gorgeously muted, sophisticated colors. I really enjoyed how it felt in my hands and the rustic quality of the dye. I’d love a sweater length! I’m thinking of #1305 October Sky or #1317 Midnight Sea. Which d’ya think?
Now, a few things about the construction; it’s a little unusual in that it begins at the center back neck with just a few stitches. The central “spine” is a narrow cable from which the entire piece is worked. There are no seams at all, I’m happy to say. I knew a Ruana would be a sizable chunk of knitting done over a considerable span of time, so I wanted to design in sections that, though it’s worked in a single piece, could be readily worked in front of the TV or while reading. In fact, the central spine portion made fine car knitting for me! In places, it looks complex but it really isn’t. I like that about it.
I hope you like it too and I know you’ll love the entire collection. The Fall 2017 issue has been released online and will be available in stores any minute. Watch for more published designs coming up in Knit.Wear, Knit Scene, Love of Knitting and Creative Knitting over the next few seasons…I’ve been a little busy!
