“Earth is… so kind… just tickle her… and she laughs with a harvest.” - Douglas William Jerrold.
Welcome to Stacey Namaste Designs. This shawl is part of my Finding Joy series. ”Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down the extraordinary moments.” ~Brené Brown. This series was inspired in order to help us recognize the joy in the little things and ordinary moments that too often pass us by.

This shawl is designed to provide the maker agency, choice, and variation - you can use any yarn, any size, any color scheme, any order of the patterns. The yarn I chose, Universe and Universe XL by Hobbii, is an acrylic mix yarn with a sparkle, distinguished by its long gradients of beautifully balanced colors, and that subtle glitter thread just makes it so lovely. I used the thinner yarn, Universe, for the leaves to show more intricate lace knitting detail. I chose the colors New Moon (06) and Pollux (34) because they symbolize what I see in early November, green and orange hued leaves, pumpkins on everyone’s porches, and fresh corn to enjoy with barbeque and in salads. It’s also the time of year I love to wear brown, red, orange, and green, and this shawl can be an accent of color to a fall themed outfit.

This design, Leafy Autumn Harvest, was inspired by this time of transition in the fall, when green leaves are changing color and falling while pumpkins and corn are harvested. This year, my husband grew pumpkins and corn in his school garden, and we have enjoyed the bounty. Even on the most challenging days, I am reminded of the symbolism Autumn holds with the falling and dying of leaves (death, hopelessness) paired with the amazing reaping of the harvest, grown from carefully planted and tended-to seeds (life, hope). This life cycle of death and birth, loss and abundance, hopelessness and hope is a significant way I choose to see the world to help me cope with its ups and downs, its impermanence, and its constant changes.

The photographed example is with one skein each (100 g/241 yds per skein) of the above listed yarn. Universe XL (orange, color A) is Light Worsted/DK yarn, 20 stitches to 28 rows for 4,” needle size 7. Universe (green, color B) is Fingering/Sock yarn, 28 stitches to 38 rows for 4,” needle size 5. The shawl is an asymmetrical triangle shape. For tips on styling, visit this site: 10 ways to style an asymmetrical shawl