Back in the early 80’s I married the love of my life and we jetted off on honeymoon to Tunisia.
One of the day trips we took around the country took us to a beautiful medieval village called Sidi Bou Said. It still is one of my favorite memories.
Originally a place of pilgrimage for visitors to the tomb of the 13th-century Sufi holy man from whom it takes its name, it was so lovely it almost took my breath away It is a labyrinth of winding streets where flights of steps lead to hidden gardens and flower-filled courtyards.
Everywhere you look it is white walls and staircases, with everything else a uniform shade of vivid blue. Doors, window frames, shutters, decorative iron grilles and elaborate latticework window screens (known as moucharabiehs) are all painted this gorgeous shade of peacock blue and framed with acres of colorful bougainvillea flowers. To this day, that blue is my favorite color.
The stitch patterns that I chose remind me of the beautiful grills and window screens that are everywhere you look in Sidi Bou Said.
This design is knitted in two halves with a knitted on icord edging to prevent rolling. One end is knitted first and put onto waste yarn or a spare needle. The second end is then worked and then the two are joined using a three needle bind off.