Glory in the Snow

Posted byletissierdesignsPosted inBFL - bluefaced leicester, Collecting, creativity, Design Process, flower Photography, flowers, Life, photography, Shawls, Specific Breed Yarns, Uncategorized, YarnsTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yarn is my Happy Place. Knitting with yarn is the perfect expression of my state of mind. Knitting with yarn that is new to me and often has been gifted to me is my idea of perfection!

I am in my heart a lace knitter – it is one of the most beautiful expressions that can be created by two sticks and some string. And right now I am extra Happy!

Yesterday Angela Beltane of Widdershin Farm, which is just outside of Duncan, gifted me with some of her BFL, Blue Faced Leicester, fingering weight yarn… enough for a large shawl. I am thinking a large Pi shawl! This yarn is soft and glossy and Oh so smooth!

The Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) is a remarkable breed of sheep that traces its origins back to the eighteenth century in Dishley, Leicestershire, United Kingdom. Let’s delve into the fascinating details of these woolly creatures:

  1. Appearance:
    • BFL sheep have a distinctive blue-gray face, which gives them their name.
    • Their ears are long, and their fleece is curly and fine.
    • Unlike other woolly breeds, they lack wool on their heads and necks.
    • The Roman noses of Bluefaced Leicesters reveal dark blue skin beneath their white hair.
  2. Wool Quality:
    • Their wool is one of the softest among UK sheep breeds.
    • Fleeces weigh between 1 to 3 kilograms (2.2 to 6.6 pounds).
    • Although not heavy, their wool is lustrous and prized for its quality.

It is going to be gorgeous. I took the day off of my other projects – dress knitting, class knitting and future planning to play with my new yarn.

Umm, just ignore the mistake in the first round of eyelets! I am! LOL!

Today is one of my day’s off and it is rainy and gray and the perfect kind of day to knit! Rainy days also produce some lovely photographic opportunities! Check out the Scilla (Glory in the Snow) from the garden. They are the inspiration, and name, for my Pi Shawl, one of my favourite shapes for a shawl. A PI Shawl is circular and can be as big as you can knit! It is going to be full of floral, water and leaf motifs!

I am going to work from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s basic Pi Shawl tutorial and fill it full of my own patterns!

Can’t you just see crystal beads on the shawl? Just like the flowers!

Happy Days! Happy Knitting!

Lynette

Published by letissierdesigns

I am an independent knitting pattern designer. My favourite things to design are accessories. Hats, Cowls, Mittens, Gloves, all styles and many weights! Designing anything with lace is my passion. Combining lace with other textures is usually my goal, to add interest and depth to the articles created. Blog - Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers. Facebook - LeTissier Designs Instagram - letissierdesigns I work primarily with natural fibres and love to embellish my patterns. I work to create interesting surface textures with differing stitch patterns and often embellish with beads or buttons. I have designed for Buffalo Wool Co, Vogue Knitting, Zealana, Malabrigo and others. But mostly I design for myself and my LYS. I have worked full time at Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns for over 20 years and started my design process as a method of creating patterns that featured teachable knitting techniques. Everything has grown from those patterns.

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