Dream Knitting

The siren call of dreamy patterns and yarn and how to resist

A soon to be available book has me in a spin.¹ I’m obsessed by the patterns, the colour palette of the yarns, the glorious photographs. It is all absolutely stunning and I am overcome with a need to own the book, buy the exact yarn and make all the patterns. NOW!

I’m fairly sure that I’m not thinking clearly or rationally about the practically of it all. Each day as a new pattern is revealed I’m sucked deeper into my wanting. But what exactly is it that I’m craving?

Let’s unpick this and maybe you will get some insights into your own yarn and pattern cravings as I delve deeper.

Emotional Connection

Thinking about it, it’s quite a powerful emotional response. I can almost taste the craving. So why?

The photos are taken in a landscape that I once knew well and that I associate with a very happy time in my life. They are wonderfully evocative and connect me to a vision of Home (with the capital H used by all expat Scots). They speak of islands, and I love islands...so much so that I now live on one!  These photos though were taken on the first island I ever visited.

I went there and to the surrounding area several times early in my teens. I went to the island in a small boat. With my Mum and Dad. It was an important part of some very special family holidays .

There was knitwear then too. A dark red hooded Bracken Tweed zip up cardigan with side pockets that I lived in from the moment Mum finished it just before that holiday until it fell to bits when I was 18!

Oh right.

Lots and lots of associations and emotional baggage then...

Lots of feelings of loss,sadness and nostalgia, mixed with some very happy memories.  Those feelings were definitely getting in the way of any rational decision making.

The Ideal Me

Then there are photos of someone looking fabulous wearing the knitwear in this already fabulous landscape. She looks great in these garments and part of me longs to look like that. To be that slim, naturally, effortlessly stylish woman standing confidently in that gorgeous Scottish landscape.

So there’s that fantasy me. The one I’d like to be perhaps.

Reality Dawns

Except, except, whispers a little doubting voice, that’s not what I’d really look like in those clothes. Me, the real one, with my very generous round bumps and curves, my short waist, large Scots hips and long wild grey hair.

Me, who lives on a considerably warmer island where I rarely need Aran weight sweaters.

Let’s Get Real.

What would I actually make from this book?

• Maybe I could rock the yolked jumper, especially if lengthened it and steeked it into a cardigan?

• I could and would definitely enjoy making and wearing the small, lace, triangular, striped shawl/scarf.

• I’m also tempted by the full sized shawl. I need more shawls in my life so that’s a distinct possibility

• I might make the gansey cardigan. In my imagination I’d do it a blue wool silk blend from New Lanark that I’ve been ogling.  Except, er, don’t I have one a bit like that already? Reader, I do 🤷‍♀️!

• I might make the honeycomb Aran sweater. Except, haven’t I  already made two quite similar ones? We know the answer, right?😎

• I might make the hats because I’m a sucker for Fair Isle or cabled hats! A knitter can’t ever have too many hats!

What am I never making?

• The lovely striped gansey blanket.

• I’m not keen on hot water bottles, no matter how beautifully cabled, so not that.

• Probably not the mittens. I just made Gansey mittens that I’m still totally besotted by!

So there it is. One or two patterns that I love and a couple that I might make someday.

However, the photos are beautiful and the accompanying essays will be a beautifully written treat. The whole book will be a delight.

So, will I I pre-order it?

Probably!

I just don’t want to make everything in it anymore. I’ll probably resist the yarn too and see what I’ve got that would work. That small shawl though..

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1. The Book - Davaar by Kate Davies

https://kddandco.com/2023/08/04/come-with-us-to-davaar/