The Embers color in the Shelter palette was directly inspired by the fiery shades of orange that paint the woods this time of year.  With that in mind, I wanted to create a lace piece that pays homage to those beautiful, falling Autumn leaves.

The design process began with a simple Estonian ‘cookie’ or leaf pattern that was similar to more commonly found 10- or 12-row leaf motifs but with a slight variation in the ways the stitch columns meandered back and forth in wave-like lines. This motif is located at the center of the rectangle and sparked the design for the rest of the fabric’s patterning.

Starting with that simple idea, the lace flows out from the center towards either end elongating the ‘leaves’ by 2 rows on each repeat. The original, shallower leaf then becomes stretched as it falls from the neck.

The pattern is a simple rectangle and enjoyable for watching a single stitch pattern slowly morph into multiple variations of itself. In order to achieve perfect mirrored halves, the piece is worked in two parts — each starting at the outer edges and worked towards the center.  Live stitches from either half are grafted together upon completion.

The stole is generously sized and, worked at the given gauge, blocks out to approximately 19 x 72 inches. It can be worn as a generous scarf, or draped more dramatically for a bit of volume around the neck and shoulders.  Worked in Shelter, it remains light and lofty despite the ample amount of fabric for an accessory.  The simple repeat makes for easy moficiation when working with yarns of differing gauges.

The pattern is available now through both Brooklyn Tweed and Ravelry.

Being surrounded by all the amazing colors of Fall is really inspiring – I find myself reaching for more of those shades in my own wardrobe.  Perhaps the Autumn Leaves Stole will bring a bit of the same to yours.