Morning, everyone! Today I’m introducing a new hat, and a new shade of Milarrochy Tweed.
First, the hat, which, just like the yoke of my Land o’ Cakes cardigan, is worked in variations of 2×2 corrugated rib and which, just like that pattern, I designed on the hoof, experimenting with shade combinations and rhythms in an improvisatory way.
This design marked the beginning of my current explorations of the different ways that weaving and knitting might mutually inspire each other after the notched appearance of an early experiment on my inkle loom reminded me of corrugated rib. . . .
. . . and I decided to knit something related to it, which also combined three shades: a blue, an orange, and a pale neutral.
Pretty much as soon as I cast the hat on, I knew I wanted to just play around with the colours and structure of the rib, mix it up, and see what happened. So that’s what I did. I found making this hat extraordinarily refreshing – the process was engaging, absorbing, surprising, meditative – and a lot of fun.
While I was knitting the hat, I was listening to Theolonius Monk’s 1956 Riverside album, Brilliant Corners, and the hat put me in mind of the title track (which you can listen to here)
Like Monk’s composition, my tri-coloured hat has a ternary (three part) structure. And like the tune too, the patterns and rhythms of the hat are, at the same time, regular yet unpredictable.
We have some Brilliant Corners kits available, the pattern is now up on Ravelry, and, if you subscribe to our newsletter, watch out for a code landing in your inbox later today – enabling you to download the pattern for just £1.00.
If you were so inclined, you might use the bare bones of the Brilliant Corners pattern to pursue your own original corrugated rib composition – just pick three shades of fingering weight / 4 ply, follow the shaping instructions, improvise, enjoy yourself, and see what happens.
Now to that shade of orange.
It’s name is asphodel, after the wild flower, bog asphodel (narthecium ossifragum) which is a familiar feature of my local lancscape.
Bog asphodel has pale yellow, star-shaped flowers, but after the plant flowers and fruits, its stems and stamens turn a startling (and incredibly luminous) pale orange shade: a colour which lights up the muir through the autumn months, long after all the other flowers have died back. There’s a lovely description of bog asphodel’s autumnal appearance here
Our asphodel shade has the luminous appearance of its namesake, though it’s certainly not bright or jarring. Rather, asphodel is an orange on the paler side, lit up with a range of tweedy flecks of contrasting hue. I’d describe asphodel as a quiet and complex orange and it’s a shade with which I’m really enjoying working (there’s another design featuring it coming soon).
Asphodel is now available in the shop alongside all our other shades of Milarrochy Tweed. We’re also excited to add another shade to the palette (hopefully in a couple of weeks time) and at that point, we’ll update our sampler packs to include all 18 shades. We started making this yarn around three years ago now, and to say I love it would be an understatement. I’m continually inspired by its colour range, and love working with it, particularly (for some reason) at this time of year. I know that some (not least our friends in the mill who ball our yarn!) can find the uneven texture of Milarrochy Tweed a wee bit frustrating. But for me, this is all part of its unique tweedy character, and the way that its been spun also has the effect of producing a yarn that’s suprisingly hard wearing and refuses to pill, while also being soft enough to wear next to the skin (in my case anyway).
hurrah for interesting tweedy shades!
Finally, it would be remiss of me not to thank our friends at Carry Farm, where we shot these photographs a few weeks ago, and where as well as enjoying the company of Fiona’s Hebridean sheep, I got to spend some time with Pablo and Alfie, my two favourite goats.
Look out for the discount code in your inboxes, and I’ll be back here tomorrow, with a poem about this coat.
Love, love, love the new colour. What a pity you can’t send orders to New Zealand during the pandemic.
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we will keep our eye on this situation, Beverley, and let you know as soon as it changes
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Fabulous, generous, beautiful and appreciated. Thank you for it all.
Cheers
Karin
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Blue, white and orange are also the colors of New York City and the NY Mets, my city and my favorite sports team. I need this NOW. Thank you so much for this lovely design and your daily posts. They are an especially welcome respite now.
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aha! another connection of which I was completely unaware, but I am very happy exists. Happy knitting, Donna! Thinking of you in NYC x
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The hat is great, of course, but I am glad to get a better look at your lovely blouse.
I remember in the ’90’s we wore blouses with embroidered plackets and fronts, just as I was beginning to wear office wear. In the age of the football-padded profile, it was a very good detail that set off a shirt as distinctly feminine.
It makes me think of that box of embroidery floss in my drawer, and the problem of “too many white shirts.”
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My spirits soared when I read your post today Kate. The photos brought back such happy memories of a wonderful weekend in Tighnabruaich at the Write by the Sea festival when we stayed in our campervan at Carry Farm. Our last outing before lockdown. Who could forget that red roof? I shall certainly knit this hat and in this colour way. The new shade of Millarochy Tweed positively sings. So looking forward to reading your “coat” poem tomorrow having heard you read it at the festival. Listening to Thelonious Monk with our coffee this morning was the icing on the cake. Thank you so much.
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I feel the same about that weekend, Maggie x
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I know you would not be aware of this, but the colors of that hat are the colors of the Chicago Bears and the University of Illinois, Blue and Orange. So, I know many folks here in Chicago will be loving that hat and the colors. Thank you for your daily posts. I know you suffer from assorted issues, but I hope you realize that your daily posts mean so much to us. The beautiful yarns and products, and the amazing photographs can lift my spirits and the way you speak of Scotland makes me feel like I am almost there. On the days when you are feeling a bit down, I hope you remember how many hearts and minds you have lifted and I hope you take a little of that for yourself. Thank you, on so many levels, thank you.
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thankyou, Linda. And you are right – I had no idea at all about the blue / orange Chicago connection (a city I visited and loved many years ago)
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Please – never change the uneven-ness of Millarochy Tweed. It is my favourite yarn. I love its softness, its colour range, its tweediness and its uneven texture. I have been wearing either my Strodie or Tonnach constantly since finishing knitting, and both look as good as new – so the yarn is extremely hard-wearing. And so cosy and warm. And although orange is not a colour I would normally choose for myself, I know that it will blend really well with the other shades. Now I am wondering what the next new colour will be!
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I thought I was done knitting hats for the winter, but…nope! Wow, wow, wow to all of it. And your style is so gorgeous and fun. Thanks for brightening this cold and rainy day!
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Absolutely love that asphodel colour Kate, it is the colour of misty autumn walks, the one that shows through the murk. . Thank you for the blogs they are a mental health life-line and I am enjoying the poetry too. I don’t have to cope with a brain injury But I also fall over a lot while walking, usually because I have seen a bird or a squirrel and forget to stop walking while I am looking. If you want to walk at all the risk will always be falling. I am lucky, I have enough padding to bounce.
At the moment my local walk around Fyvie Loch is closed because too many folk arrived in cars on MothersDay and it was an infection risk. I am missing my daily dose of ducks, coots and squirrels but I am enjoying the online life more than ever .
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“the colour that shows through the murk” – exactly this, Alison! Sorry to hear about Fyvie Loch – we’ve had similar issues close to where we are – the crowds that weekend were pretty shocking.
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What a lovely jolly hat! I love how the texture reminds me a bit of Bohus with the combo of knit and purl stitches. My first thought was to purchase the pattern and knit it in my usual muted color palette, but I think now is not the time to be muted. I definitely need one in this happy, bright colorway!
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thankyou, Wendy! Bright colours all the way!
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Good Morning Kate I really look forward to your daily post. It always cheers me up. I think my sister in Oregon is working up to ask me to knit the Coofle sweater. Take care
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thanks for reading, Eleanor! And happy knitting.
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I was right Prudence loves the sweater and wants one. Typical kits out of stock but Melanie has been her usual helpful self so we will just have to be patient.
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This is beautiful Kate could a beginner tackle the colour work. I have knitted hats and some garments before but have not done colour work. Looking to get back into knitting (more of a sewer) but 2 weeks before lockdown I broke my hip and sitting at the machine, getting up and down is difficult. So thought a new skill could be learnt. Really drawn to the new shade of orange. Thanks x
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yes absolutely Helena – if you can knit and purl you can do this
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Thank you.
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The cotton For your belts where do you get it? and would love more on the weaving, you have inspired again to have ago.
Love the orange.
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If you are in the UK, try Weft Blown:
https://www.weftblown.com/collections/cotton
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Love the colours and the pattern!
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
http://www.dressedwithsoul.com
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That’s really lovely. How on earth do you decide which hat to wear? How big is your hat box? I’m sort of imagining a special hat wardrobe.
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here there are many hats. But I also have (ahem) quite a number of coats. Generally the coat determines the hat.
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Bonjour,
Je suis déjà abonnée à votre newsletter.
Puis je quand même bénéficier de l’avantage du modèle à 1€?
MERCI pour votre réponse
Cordialement
Brigitte Giroux
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This is another very welcome, inspiring and cheering post, Kate! Could you do a post about shoes and boots sometime please (I’m serious!)
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yes, I might do that, Linda – I can’t wear shoes with a heel, and love my boots
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If you feel you are lacking in bodily co ordination that is definitely not the case with your colour coordination. this whole outfit speaks volumes.
Where are you?
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thanks Pauline! The photos are taken down the road from us in Argyll, at Carry Farm
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