Our next Slip and Rise release came about in a most unusual way! Well, usual for my typical design process anyway.
Two years ago, I submitted a design to Malabrigo’s Quickies call and titled it “Archways Cowl”. It was accepted, but as I worked the design into a pattern the name really didn’t fit. It was published last year as “Shadowlands” – the design that kicked off all the slipping cable fun!
So, I had a “free” pattern name and let me tell you how absolutely unusual that is with how many pattern urls there are on Ravelry! I don’t mind having the same pattern name as someone else, truly it is a hard thing to avoid, but being the first one to use a name on Ravelry means that the url for that pattern is nice and easy to remember. And that is so important to the little grey cells, that designs often go through several names before settling!
As I thought about what pattern Archways Cowl would like to be and looked through my leftovers yarn stash, these two colors Alpaca Metal (a gift from Malabrigo) and Arachania (leftovers from Submerge) jumped out at me.
With Puddles on my lap, I cast on the first idea for this year’s 2022 pattern club – Archways Cowl.
The Alpaca Metal reminded me so much of the photo re-shoot we did for Lake Breeze Tank. Pairing Alpaca Metal & it’s concrete look as the archways and the blues from Arachania as the lake the peered through them made all the parts come together.
The final piece, the photo shoot. Health restrictions prevented traveling, then when they had passed and health permitted, gas prices prevented it. So, I waited patiently (sort of) with two back-up locations in mind to see if the entire thing would come together… starting from name and going all the way backwards to design and then all the way forwards to publication!
Introducing Archaways!
And yes, camera mom surprised me with a trip back to Lake Junaluska for my birthday to do the shoot 😊🥰.