Woo hoo! Happy (business) birthday to me 😀
As I did last year with the Snakes and Ladders Shawl, I have created a new pattern to release today in celebration of another year in this business which I love! This year the pattern is very special to me, as the inspiration for it came from a very dear old lady, my grandad’s cousin Pat, who we recently lost at the grand old age of 102 years. She was always full of life, and had many an adventure in her time as a mission doctor in Africa (she wasn’t a missionary she’d like me to add, she always made a point of telling people she was far too naughty for that!). The inspiration for this shawl came from a gorgeous shawl pin she kindly left me, which I felt deserved to be worn with something as colourful and full of life as she was, and also my hands down, favourite memory of her:
The event took place a very long time ago when I was just a wee girl, and we were at my grandma’s house for the family Christmas dinner. Now my grandma was good at many things, but cooking was not one of them. I’m sure she started boiling those vegetables some time around the beginning of December to get them quite so soft and tasteless! And she was not the sort of grandma who would accept you not eating the food put in front of you. So my wee brother and I were making our best attempt at eating them, when Pat clearly decided she’d had enough of them too. She whipped a tube of Smarties out of her handbag, popped them open, scattered them across the table, and gleefully announced “oh children, you don’t want to eat that! Let’s eat Smarties instead!”
So in her honour let me present to you my celebration of life, love and family: the Smarties for Dinner shawl!
It is an asymmetric triangle shawl, knitted from side to side with yarn over increases. It uses several techniques including colour changes to create the rainbows at either end, some 2 stranded colour work to create the rows of colourful “Smarties”, and two decorative lace panels, one which represents the plates and napkins on the Christmas table, and the other the love and admiration for an incredible lady.
A delightful pop of colour to liven up any outfit and to remind us all to live life to the fullest.
It is knitted using Scheepjes Catona cotton yarn, and you can see the full requirements and purchase the pattern from my Ravelry store here:
Flora Fibres 