Some time ago I got a custom yarn from Old Maiden Aunt yarns in a most amazing emerald green colour. It did not stay in the stash for very long..
.. may I present Roskilde? It is the fourth (and last) shawl in my series of shawls inspired by places in Denmark.
Roskilde was Denmark's erstwhile capital and still exists today. The town can be traced back to the 6th century AD although it is most famous as the seat of power during the Viking age.
I drew my inspiration from the wrought-iron lattice work found in King Christian IV's chapel in Roskilde Cathedral (a UNESCO Heritage Site). Christian IV was always my favourite Danish king – if you want to read about him, I recommend Rose Tremain's novel, Music & Silence
Like my other patterns, I wanted to be able to get a shawl out of one skein of sock yarn, but also enable other knitters to modify the shawl to suit their yardage. This means you can repeat each chart as many time as you would like before moving on to the next chart. In other words, knitters can get as much shawl as their yardage allows.
I am slightly in love with Chart A which stacks in a really awesome manner - the actual pattern does not emerge until at least two repeats have been knitted.
And did I mention no chart spans more than 8 rows? Of which only 4 rows are actually pattern rows? I sometimes get asked if my patterns are suitable for lace beginners because they look complicated - and I can say with absolute honesty that I design with "adventurous beginners" in mind whenever possible. Roskilde is no exception.
I would like to thank my three test-knitters who have all been super-awesome. Not only did they volunteer on Twitter less than 90 seconds after I mentioned test-knitting, but they also returned to me with excellent feedback and detailed photos. You ladies rock. Thank you Cayt, Caroline and Mags.