Fresh Designs: Scarves - Monkey Puzzle Scarf

I’m proper published and all now.

Fresh Designs: Scarves went live late last night UK time, and is available as an e-book via http://www.ravelry.com. There are ten designs in the book, many of which I really want to knit myself, and my Monkey Puzzle Scarf is in there as well.

The inspiration for the scarf is exactly as it says in the title – the Monkey Puzzle tree with its parallel arrangement of thickly covered branches. I wanted to design a scarf that would be a quick knit, even for someone relatively new to knitting, which would be warm and snuggly, and which would keep out the winter chills. So it’s very basic. If you can cast on, cast off, knit, purl and count, you can knit this scarf. It uses stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch to create the texture. I’m also around to answer any questions you may have.

The book is currently only available via Ravelry, but will be available via the Co-operative Press website very soon. Both print and ebook versions will be available.

Another factor for me was that I wanted to showcase some of Jon’s beautiful yarn and for a quick and snuggly knit, the Falkland Chunky he was dyeing at the time I was working on this design (about a year ago) was perfect. Soft. Good stitch definition. Takes dye like a dream. Chunky, therefore quick to get results with. And here’s the hiccup. The base yarn he was using was discontinued, and trying to find a supply of a similar chunky has proven problematical. We thought we’d cracked it when our main supplier stocked up for winter last year with some Shetland Chunky (mmmmmm) – but sadly, he lost most of his stock in a fire before we could order. Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the fire, and he was insured, as not only are his yarns and fibres of the absolute best quality, but he is also one of the nicest people that you could ever hope to meet. Sadly, though, the chunky was not replaced at that time. On the brighter side, Jon has some beautiful Romney fleeces that he is going to get spun to the same specifications (fingers crossed, as the new machine to do this isn’t at the mill yet), and we are hearing rumours of a chunky British BFL yarn that will be available to us in the Autumn. Jon’s also doing his level best to find alternative, suitable, and economically viable chunky yarn (easier said than done, as “chunky” is a spec that covers anything heavier than aran weight, and there are massive discrepancies in the grist, thickness and characteristics of this size of yarn).

So bear with us!

Finally, I must say a massive THANK YOU to some wonderful people. To Shannon Okey, founder of Co-operative Press and the brains and elbow grease behind this whole operation. Shannon has been fantastic to work with – from the very clear call for submission, right the way through to the message that the book was launched last night. To Abra Foreman, who interned with Shannon over Summer 2010, and put up with strange questions, organised the submissions and was a lovely person to boot. To the wonderful Jon of Natural Born Dyers who not only provided me with the fabulous yarn, but who is also the love of my life, and who has shared all the good and bad (including me bouncing up the stairs at bedtime last night saying “it’s been PUBLISHED!!!!!”). To the other designers – it needed ten of us to make the book – and I will be knitting many of their scarves as well. And to anyone who has defied boredom and self-promotion and gushing and general me-ness to survive this long and thinks “I might just have a look at this book”. Especially if you also buy it and knit some of the patterns.

The photographs in this post are copyright Fractured Photography, and are used by kind permission of Cooperative Press.