The fourth and final design of the Four Seasons Collection by Jayalakshmi of Apoorva Designs has now been released and so this feels like the perfect opportunity to look back over this wonderful collaboration. If you would like to know more about Jaya take a look at our interview with her HERE.
We introduced the Four Seasons Collection in another blog post which you can read HERE but at that time the designs were all very much under wraps so now we can talk you through all four of them!
Spring - Echoing Green
The Echoing Green Shawl is a top-down, half-circle shawl knit in two colors of Oakworth 4ply. The stockinette body is knit in Hosta and the lace border is knit in Larch. The shawl has optional decorative fringes along the central spine and the top of the lace border. Although they're optional they do add to it so we think you should make them. 😊
The design draws its name and inspiration from the beautiful, short poem by William Blake. The poem begins with a short description of children playing on a green, grassy field on a warm, spring day, and ends with the older men reminiscing about their youth, embracing the change from youth to old age. The poem contrasts youth and old age, with Spring representing life in general. Morning represents the beginning of life, the Echoing Green, and evening the end of life, the darkening Green. This spring shawl is a celebration of this deep philosophy of life, reflecting childhood and youth in the light green shade, and old age or the end of life in the darker green shade with the falling leaves lace.
Summer - Sun and Shower
The Sun and Shower Shawl is a circular shawl, knit in Titus Lace in colourway Sunrise. The shawl is worked in the round from the center out, in one piece, beginning with a circular cast on. This Summer shawl draws its name and inspiration from William Wordsworth’s poem “Three Years She Grew.” The circular shawl knit in the Sunrise shade represents the sun and hence nature. In this poem, the poet personifies nature. He points out to the great influence and power that nature can have on human life. The poem teaches us the universal truth about the circle of life, that is - we are from nature, we are sustained by nature, and we all have to return to nature. So, in effect, there is no loss of human life after death. This stunning shawl is more lacy than the other designs and so might challenge a new knitter a bit more, but it is so worth it!
Autumn - Ode to Autumn
Ode to Autumn is a rectangular wrap knitted in Oakworth 4ply in colourway Faded Bloom, Carlisle Fingering in colourway Rose Bed and Eldwick Lace in colourway Rambling Rose. It is worked from one end to the other and draws its name and inspiration from John Keats’s poem “To Autumn.” In this poem, the poet personifies autumn as a harvester and in three stanzas divides the season into three aspects drawing attention to the short-lived beauty of the season. It is a light, airy, and yet still cosy wrap, with relaxing knitting interspersed with beautiful lace panels.
Winter - Snowy Evening
The Snowy Evening Shawl is an asymmetric triangular shawl knit on the bias using four skeins of Pendle Aran in Oak. This Winter shawl draws its name and inspiration from Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” In this poem, Frost is captivated by the sight of the dark woods and pure white snow. The lonely journey of the poet or the horse-rider symbolizes the journey of an individual through life. The poet exhorts us to fulfill our duties and responsibilities, without being distracted by the pleasures of life. He clearly wasn't a knitter! This shawl is a great pleasure to knit, with gorgeous squishy garter stitch for relaxing with, and then cables and lace keep it interesting later on. It's a big, cosy piece, which can be worn as an elegant shawl or more as a big cosy scarf.
To browse the available patterns and kits for this collection click HERE.