Shawl week interview #5: Veera Valimaki
Today, we end shawl week with Veera Valimaki's new shawl, Crescent Cables. Here's what she has to say about her design:
With this design I wanted to see how blending cables with a shawl design would work. The lofty qualities of Lark were just perfect for the cables--the yarn has great stitch definition without being too heavy. The fabric still has air in it, just like you would want your shawl to have! With the crisp light grey, the dark plum background was really brought to life! It only has a bit of that contrasting color, but it makes all the difference.
Even though I could never get tired of garter stitch, stripes and short rows, seeing how everything came together with the cable edging made this design a very special one for me. I have been intrigued with the idea of adding more cables to shawls and with this one I'm really happy how the cables really make the design. The reversible cables give a sturdy edging that holds the crescent shape well. Also the way of integrating the sideways cable into body stitches of the shawl makes it a fun knit!
To me, a shawl is like a playground in knitting! It's probably the only knitted garment where you don't need to worry about fit so much, so you are free to play.
Shawls are also very versatile, everybody can wear one (kids, adults; men and women). You can also just start: you don't always need to be certain what you are working on, just start and see where that leads you. In a way, I think shawls as big swatches--you can easily start from one end and try out all the different things you want and in the end bind off a pretty shawl!
We hope you've enjoyed getting a glimpse into our wonderful designers for this year's Shawl week collection. You can buy the whole collection as a bundle here.
