Beautiful photos

I've had a few designs re-knitted in new yarns for my Woolfest display. I've also taken the opportunity to re-do some of the photos for these designs. Vanessa modelled a lot of them originally and she's changed so much in the last year or two. 

On Monday morning, I dragged Vanessa and a pile of shawls outside at 9am for a photoshoot. We've had a lot of sun lately, which I love, but it's not the best conditions for a photoshoot. 

First up is a new version of Piccadilly. Liz re-knitted this shawl in Schoppel Laceball which is beautiful! I love this version so much more than the original, which i liked a lot. The colours in this ball are just MY colours. I had planned to wear it last week when I had a new headshot taken but I forgot to bring it with me.

Piccadilly is a small crescent shaped shawl which starts with a beaded lace border, followed by a short row stocking stitch section (these are easy peasy short rows, no wraps and turns or anything like that) and ends with another beaded lace border. 

It only takes around 50gr of lace weight yarn and can be worn as a shoulder shawl or as a scarf. Wear it on a chilly summer evening over your summer dress or with your favourite winter coat in the winter. 

And here's the 'flying in the wind' shot:

I had a new version of Candace knitted up in time for Wonderwool in April but I didn't get around to updating the pattern. The pattern, it turned out, was missing pattern repeats in the charts. Very embarassing. So if you've bought this pattern on Ravelry, you'll have received an update so you can download the new version. If you've bought it elsewhere, contact me.

Candace was knitted up in two skeins of Lotus Silky Cashmere Fingering (which despite it's name is actually a lace weight yarn). This yarn is amazing, so soft and silky and once you've blocked the shawl it keeps it's shape beautifully.

Cherish was originally designed for Knitting Magazine and knitted up in Artesano Inca Mist which is no longer available. The original yarn was a dk but I've always wanted to re-knit this in a sock yarn or 4ply. So Anita knitted it up in Lotus Cashmere DK (which is a 4ply/fingering weight yarn). We've reduced the size slightly and used 2 skeins for the sample but as the shawl is knitted in two halves it can be knitted using any amount of yarn. If you want it bigger, just buy more yarn and knit each half until you've used up half your yarn.

Cherish can be worn as a shoulder shawl or as a scarf making it an all year round accessory. In the winter wear it as a scarf on the way to work and drape it around your shoulder for a bit of warmth in a cold office. Or if you work in an over air conditioned office, it's perfect to keep you comfy in the summer too.

I will definitely be wearing this in the winter. The Cashmere is incredibly soft and makes this a real luxury accessory.

Vanessa said she wasn't happy with the photos but I think she looks beautiful!

I've had new photos taken too. Last week I had a photo session with a local photographer, Rob Frost, to do the 'how to' photos for my book. I asked him to do a new head shot for me too. I've never had a pro headshot done and most of the ones I've used over the years I've not been happy with. So here's my new one: