I am so excited to reveal the designs and patterns for this year’s Road To Rhinebeck Shawl-along with Kristy Glass Knits and Asylum Fibers. Sometimes collaborations and projects are just so special that it is a touch of magic in every step and the finished product is beyond what we imagined at the start. For me, this is one of those cases. Working with Kristy Glass & Stephanie of Asylum Fibers on this annual collaboration may be one of the single best parts of my year. And my job. Our theme this year is Dutchess & Dragons and may I present: The Dragon County Crochet Shawl AND The Dragon Kounty Knit Shawl!
In truth these designs took on many forms in the process. I had a vision. Stephanie NAILED the colors and Kristy gave us such a great inspiration starting point - well the pressure was on for the design element to be just as amazing as the colors and inspirations. I FELT THE PRESSURE!
I wanted to incorporate Mohair to create an “airy” element but not take away from the magic that Asylum Fibers Daft DK yarn gives in the drape. I also needed to come up with a design that would translate my vision to knit AND crochet. I also wanted there to be a freedom for the stitcher to truly make this there own in a way. Nope - no pressure at all.
For the Dragon County Crochet Shawl - I added a few fun features such as an extra turning stitch to start each row to allow for the shape to not “pull in” creating more of a half circle than crescent.
I also wanted gauge not to be a huge element so that people can just enjoy the making and shaping of the shawl. On mine, stitched in the color Ferocity, I stitched VERY loosely and you can see that makes it even a bit bigger after blocking. I also snuck in one row of hdc instead of sc for a bit of personal flair.
On Kristy’s crochet version, made in the color Gumption, she followed the pattern and gauge right up until the final 2 trim rows. She added a row of Mohair at the end before the final trim row - which I love.
For the Dragon Kounty Knit Shawl i wanted to incorporate a lot of those same design elements but translated to knit. That is why I chose a garter tab starter. This allows the shape to hold the same way I did on the crochet version but keeps it true to knitter style. I also wanted to incorporate feather and fan to match the drape and shape of the crochet version. I really wanted the design to showcase the incredible job Stephanie did with the colors making the yarn the start of the show.