Pattern Release—Le Soir

And about time, too!

This project, Mélodies, has been in my daydreams since December of last year, though Le Soir has been a picture in my mind since September of 2018. It’s finally here! This is going to be a longish ride; so if you’d like to cut to the chase and get to the pattern details and giveaway, feel free to skip down to all of those things—the subheads will guide you. If not, buckle up for the scenic route! (There will be pretty pictures.)

The Story

I can only describe this design as a happy accident—when I swatched for it exactly two years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. (Maybe I still don’t.) I have no recollection of why I chose to combine these stitches, in this way; and my only reason for the picot edging was that I was bored of plain garter selvedges. Somehow everything actually goes together. Despite the two years that have passed, it’s still one of my favorite designs I’ve ever created.

Somewhere in those two years, it became the nucleus of a geeky, over-ambitious project—a collection of four lace shawls inspired by French art song. As excited as I am about the next three shawls in the collection, I think this first design will always be a special one to me. Though perhaps it isn’t just the design; the journey of those 24 months has been nothing short of priceless.

As you can see, some tweaks have been made since that first swatching venture, the biggest of which is the dramatic change of yarn choice. The original swatch was a rustic 2-ply Peruvian wool; these two samples are in a round 4-ply merino-silk blend (white) and tightly twisted Blue-Faced Leicester (green). A big, big round of applause is due to Miss Babs for both of these yarns, Woodbury and Katahdin. They were so beautiful when they arrived I almost (note the almost) hated taking the skeins apart to knit with them, though the sample shawls were worth it in the end. I’ll be doing full-length reviews of both yarns in the coming weeks; but for now, here are a few teasers to enjoy!

When I was first conceptualizing this collection, I envisioned something ultra-fresh, luminous, and muted; but as the yarn support began arriving in the mail, something totally different began to emerge—rich, sumptuous, dramatic, moody. Dismay was my initial reaction; but after finally embracing the result I couldn’t be happier.

A fair question to ask right now would be “What exactly does this have to do with French art song?” Because Le Soir was an already-existing design at the inception of Mélodies, my approach to it was slightly different than with the other three designs; two them are completely new concepts, while the third is modified from a piece I wasn’t satisfied with.

In preparation for creating the collection, I listened to a lot of these songs; I was familiar with the genre at a basic level, but the repertoire was mostly new to me. As I tried to match a song with this shawl, the classic, understated feel, smooth melody, and flowing texture of Le Soir by Charles Gounod leaped out as a perfect fit. As each of the designs from Mélodies are released, I will link to my favorite recording of each namesake song at the end of the introductory post. Yes—this is why I took these pictures beside, around, and in a piano. (No pianos were harmed, of course.)

The Details

The shawl comes in two sizes, which is why there are two samples. The smaller, white shawl is essentially an extra-wide, extra-long scarf that can be thrown on top of outfits in the most careless way, and still look completely stylish and put-together—I almost always wear mine exactly as in the picture above, over a dress or tunic with the ends hanging free in front. The green shawl is deep, long, and luxurious, made to be draped and snuggled in (but elegant snuggling, mind you). The white shawl uses about 750 yards of fingering weight yarn, while the green shawl uses about 860 yards of light fingering weight. (Not just any light fingering weight—Katahdin knits up exceptionally well at a larger gauge than normal. For more on that, check back for my review in the coming weeks!)

Le Soir is available for $6 as an individual pdf download, via Ravelry and Lovecrafts as with all my self-published designs. It is also available in ebook form on both channels (links here and here), and currently can be purchased for a deep discount. As individual patterns are released, they will be added to the ebook and the price will go up. The publication and pricing schedule, which I first detailed here, has been updated to this:

• September 2 to October 21—$14
• October 21 to Release #3—$16
• Release #3 to Release #4—$18
• Release 4# and onward—$20

So if you like this design and want to snag it and the rest of the collection for only $14, make sure to do so before October 21! Dates will be added to this list as available. Once all four patterns are out, there will be a print book; a release date for that will be announced in the future.

Any questions? Drop ’em in the comments! (These comments will not be eligible for the giveaway.)

The Giveaway

As I promised, there will be giveaways along the way! From September 2 to September 5, I will be running a giveaway on this blog for a free pdf copy of Le Soir. To enter, simply comment below and let me know your favorite thing about Le Soir, and what color of Woodbury or Katahdin you’d like to make it in. For a bonus entry, post about Le Soir on your blog or social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Ravelry forums, and the like) and link to your post/pin in a separate comment.

The winner will be drawn using a random number generator and will be announced September 9 in my next blog post, so check back then to find out who won! After the announcement has been posted, I will use the email address provided with the comment to contact the winner. If you’re interested in winning a copy of the pattern, be sure to leave your comment before 7:00 PM EST on September 5!

As a side note, there will be similar giveaways for each pattern in the collection, so keep an eye peeled for those.

The Music

And finally, Le Soir’s companion recording—enjoy!

Le Soir by Charles Gounod. Performed by Yvonne Kenny (soprano) and Malcolm Martineau (piano).

The giveaway is now closed—thanks for joining in! The winner will be announced this coming Wednesday, September 9, so be sure to check back then to see who won! There will be more Mélodies pattern giveaways in the coming months, so if you want to be notified of those, be sure to subscribe to this blog!

Comments are still open, but future comments will not be eligible for the giveaway.