In October 2010, a talented indie yarn dyer whose work I loved announced a design contest. Two months, one new design, in any of her yarns. At that point, I’d been designing for just a few months, still finding my voice as a designer, so the timing felt perfect. There would also be not just one but two winners, so the chances felt good!

I cast on right away, using the dyer’s soft and luxurious MCN, a merino, cashmere, nylon blend. I wanted to create a set—a cowl and mitts that worked together but not as two separate projects. I made the first set in a teal colorway with earthy speckles, followed by a second set in a warm cinnamon. As I finished, I realized they’d each used exactly or just shy of one skein. That wasn’t by design; it just worked out that way.

The win came as such a validation. I was still so new to designing, and to have my work recognized alongside another designer’s? It gave me confidence to keep going and to trust that I had something to offer. I called it Dyade, a German word for a pair as well as a nod to my heritage and to how these two pieces were meant to function as one.

It’s a set that doesn't demand a big commitment—just one generous skein of fingering weight yarn in whatever color that speaks to you and a few evenings of knitting. You get to play with color and yarn and finish with something beautiful on your hands.

In October 2010, a talented indie yarn dyer whose work I loved announced a design contest. Two months, one new design, in any of her yarns. At that point, I’d been designing for just a few months, still finding my voice as a designer, so the timing felt perfect. There would also be not just one but two winners, so the chances felt good!

I cast on right away, using the dyer’s soft and luxurious MCN, a merino, cashmere, nylon blend. I wanted to create a set—a cowl and mitts that worked together but not as two separate projects. I made the first set in a teal colorway with earthy speckles, followed by a second set in a warm cinnamon. As I finished, I realized they’d each used exactly or just shy of one skein. That wasn’t by design; it just worked out that way.

The win came as such a validation. I was still so new to designing, and to have my work recognized alongside another designer’s? It gave me confidence to keep going and to trust that I had something to offer. I called it Dyade, a German word for a pair as well as a nod to my heritage and to how these two pieces were meant to function as one.

It’s a set that doesn't demand a big commitment—just one generous skein of fingering weight yarn in whatever color that speaks to you and a few evenings of knitting. You get to play with color and yarn and finish with something beautiful on your hands.

After I released the Indira shawl, I wore it everywhere—to work, knit nights, a winter wedding. Anywhere I wanted elegance without overthinking it. But in some settings, like around my office, I realized a smaller accessory would be more practical. I found myself wanting something I could throw on and that would stay put. A cowl with the same stitch patterns felt perfect, so I started sketching.

The size and shape were crucial. I wanted the same beautiful drape as the shawl and decided to make the cowl wider at the base, narrower at the top. I also wanted to knit as much of that striking double-braided cable as possible. Sideways construction was the answer. It gave me the opportunity to play with short rows, which I’d been wanting to explore more, and to include not just one but two cables! The fun part was problem-solving and figuring out how to execute it so the pattern would be repeatable. When I finally drew a short-row diagram that looked promising, I circled it and wrote, “This works!”

I knit two prototypes to test the construction. The first was too narrow at the top and never saw the light of day. The second one was where things clicked. I was amazed to see the short rows work exactly as I’d sketched them, creating that perfect funnel shape. This sample needed some fine-tuning, but it quickly became part of my knitwear rotation too.

Once the design came together, finding the perfect yarn was next. A bold, dark red colorway in La Bien Aimée’s catalog stood out as the one. I savored every stitch from cast on to bind off, and I was especially excited to be able to wear my finished cowl when meeting Aimée for the first time at Stitches West 2020.

I’ve made two more Indira Cowls since then, including one in yellow for La Bien Aimée’s boutique in Paris, and I constantly reach for any one of the three I still have. It’s exactly the kind of accessory I was looking for—elegant, practical, wearable. Maybe it’s what you’ve been looking for too.

Alivia is a unique, triangular shawl worked from the bottom point to the upper edge. The beautiful lace border remains the focal point of the shawl and with two center stitch options, it can be worn either formally or casually. Modifying the size of the shawl to use less or more yarn, or a different weight of yarn, is as easy as repeating the second chart fewer or more times.

Kaliope is a simple lace shawl pattern worked from the top center and outward to the edging using traditional shawl increases of four stitches per right side row. The diagonal lines of the shawl draw the eye toward the simple yet beautiful border where the columns of lace taper into points and transform into hexagonal shapes, ending with an elegant scalloped edge. The size of your shawl can be easily scaled up or down simply by changing the number of repeats of the main body chart. Directions are included for two edge size options.

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