Early Spring – Koigu and Missoni – Colours

Crocus offer bright flashes of colour in amongst the weeds of the garden - I really need to pull up some chickweed!

It is Early Spring (the West Coast starts this Season a little early) and the real Spring is on it’s way.  I have spent a little time in the garden checking out the colours of the flowers and the types of Spring growth that are starting to appear.

Spring to me is all about colour;  The colours of the flowers; The colours that surrond us in the Earth and Sky;  The colours in the clothing and the colours that we knit. At this time of year everything changes and lightens up.

Two names that are synonymous (to me) with colour and knitting are Koigu and Missoni.  Koigu – for gorgeous, highly coloured merino wool and Missoni – for incredibly designed and wildly coloured knitwear.  Both have influenced many designers over the years.

Koigu Jabot - Missoni channelled!

I have just finished a small jabot (a small scarf of lace of ruffles), rumour has it that jabot’s will be all the rage for this fall!  I knit it out of one hank of Koigu, pulled from my stash, without its tag – why is it when you want to know what was used  – it is usually when you have no idea of what happened to the original tag!

It took less than 8 hours and is a sample for my beginner’s lace class.

This unknown colourway, once it was knit, reminded me very strongly of a Missoni colourway.  Maybe something from the 80’s!  I knit the wide part of the jabot in the Feather and Fan pattern and the undulating curves and the combining of the colours just made me think of the wild chevroning colours of the Missoni knits!

Winter Aconite - a bright explanation point in my Early Spring Garden.

Colours in the Spring are not always strong.  The bright yellow Winter Aconite, deep burgundy pink of the Christmas Roses (see header) and purple and orange Crocus have great big colours, but some the colours of Spring are soft and subtle, like the tree fungus – which is perhaps why pastels and creamy tones always seem to be popular choices for the Spring.

I noticed a very small tree fungus growing on the Forsythia – which is just starting to bud.

A fan shaped fungus on the Forsythia

The fan fungus is less than an inch across – I thought at first that it was just some peeling bark.  After a closer look a realized that it was a fungus and that it was beautiful!  I took quite a few pictures, from many angles.  I thought that it was very colourful in a soft, restrained way.

The camera picks up the velvety texture of the fungus.

There were purples and burgundies, greens and taupes, and all shades of cream in this one little fungus.  It is so delicate.  I’ll have to watch and see how it changes with the year.

Vogue Knitting Cover Spring 2012

Vogue Knitting has sent me the Cover picture and the official pictures of my patterns in the Spring/Summer 2012.  The official release date of the Magazine is March 6th, but some stores in New York City already have them.  On the West Coast we most likely will get them a little later.

My semi-circle shawl with lace edging - Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2012, photo by Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com

The next piece of the Dark of the Morning Scarf will be released Saturday morning at around 10:00am Pacific Time.  There are only two more pieces after this one.  This has been a fun and educational experience.  I have made new friends and learned a lot from them.  The questions and comments have all made an impact on how I put together and view my pattern writing – Thank-you!

My beaded socks - Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2012, photo by Rose Callahan

Happy Knitting

Lynette

PS – This last picture of the fungus is my favorite.  The colours are just so gorgeous!

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