It’s been a while since I wrote a Pattern Radar post. There is a simple reason behind this: they take a lot of work. Putting in the photos and the links and copyright information and double-checking everything is fiddly. I normally choose between 8 and 12 new patterns that have caught my fancy in some way, and then put together the post. Since I wait until I have a fair number of patterns to discuss, this sometimes gets in the way of my original intention which is to show new stuff that is exciting, or interesting, or eye-catching. So, I have decided on a new plan: to make more frequent Pattern Radar posts, each focusing on between 2 – 5 patterns. Here, to kick it off, are three very different shawl patterns that have been released within the past week.

Litsea by Linnea Ornstein

You know how sometimes you click through endless patterns, thinking “same old, same old”? Well, this is one of those patterns that literally made me sit up and think. It caught my eye because it is pretty, but then my brain cells immediately started thinking “how is it constructed?” A partial answer: It is initially knitted in the round, using a “no purl” garter technique, with the wreaths knitted back and forth. That is a very simplistic description; check out the pattern and read the notes to get a better idea. However it’s done, it is beautiful, and very unique, and feels full of colour and life.

Floret by Norah Gaughan

Norah Gaughan has just released a new pattern book, called Knit Fold Pleat Repeat. The patterns all involve folding and pleating knitted fabric in innovative ways. It is incredibly imaginative and thoughtful. I remember so well buying Norah’s book Knitting Nature in 2006 and being blown away by her architectural approach to knitting and her sensitivity to shapes, patterns, geometries, and nature. Her work is characterised by playfulness and a unique way of taking an idea and pushing it outwards and sideward and inside out. (Kate Davies recently wrote about how Norah’s work on Twisted Stitches has inspired her own design process.) Floret is just one of the many cool patterns in the book, but it is one that really caught my eye.

Anemone shawl by Dee Hardwicke

I really love the combination of stranded knitting, bold geometric patterning, and use of colour in this shawl. It’s got a nice “pop” to it, but still has a softness. It’s one of those patterns that tricks the eye: if you look at it one way you see the anemones, big and gorgeous and flowery; but then you blink and what you see are angles and lines and circles, laid out like geometric tilework. I particularly like the coral edging on the cream and blue section, as opposed to the cream edging on the coral and blue section. It’s a small detail, but very effective.

There you have it: three very different shawls that caught my eye this week. Good knitting, everyone!