I am very pleased to announce that my next book is available to pre-order!
Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks is a collection of seven patterns all inspired by the palace of Beauxbatons (translation: Beautiful Sticks) from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. It will be available in both print and ebook format, and the print book will have a special offer of including the ebook free for pre-orders. The book will be released at Yarndale (24th -25th September) and orders posted out and available to download the week after.
The Palace of Beauxbatons is home to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and is thought to be a wondrous, glittering palace located in the Pyrenees in Southern France. Its whereabouts are hidden to protect its magical secrets but, despite this, I have been waiting for my owl to deliver a letter of acceptance for the past sixteen years.
In preparation for my years of study with their chic and elegant students, I have created this collection of knitwear so that I might have a wardrobe suitable to wear. This collection comprises three garments and four accessories, ranging from a warm winter cardigan to a lovely lace top for the Yule ball. Whatever the season, these beautiful knits will have you dressed to impress at the palace of beautiful sticks. Each pattern casts a magic spell as you speak its Latin name, weaving beautiful yarn with the wands of your knitting needles.
The cover pattern is Frondis (latin translation: leaves, foliage), a lacy scalloped shawl that is very versatile as it can also be worn as a wrap and scarf.
Knitted in aran weight yarn, I used five balls of Sublime Evie, a cotton yarn that is very soft and drapes beautifully. The shawl is worked from end to end with a gentle curve with a leafy lace border and a simple lace-patterned body. The pattern uses a percentage system and can be adapted to make the most of any amount of aran weight yarn. The aran weight yarn means that this shawl knits up quickly and the lace pattern makes it warm, yet light to wear.
The inspiration for this pattern is the cloaks that are worn in the films by the Beauxbaton students and the idea that the students are serenaded by wood nymphs whilst they eat their meals in the halls of the palace.
