The La Folia Collection is a series of three accessory patterns based on a deceptively simple leaf-lace stitch contrasting with garter stitch. The three variations are a crescent shawl, a drapy cowl, and a triangular shawl.

A pair of patterns for matching mittens and mitts with colourwork inspired by crystals, each with options for shorter or longer cuffs.

A hat and cowl duo by Amy van de Laar, inspired by the decorative stamped motifs found in 17thC books and music scores.

’Paper Hats’ is a collection of five hats inspired by the paper-craft projects I enjoyed as a child: simple crowns, woven heart baskets, soaring airplanes, folded boats and pirate hats, and cut-out snowflakes. I hope you enjoy them too!

The Rose Jam hat and matching mitts are toasty, worsted-weight winter warmers featuring an all-over pattern of rose petals. I love the heart-shaped petals of some old fashioned roses - they inspired a cable pattern of interlocking petals that is easy to knit without a cable needle. The name comes from rose petal jam, a sweet floral preserve that I think goes very well with scones and cream.

A set of three matching accessories by Amy van de Laar, also available separately as the Beeswax Hat, Beeswax Cowl, and Beeswax Mitts.

Twisted Strings is a collection of five accessories inspired by the decorative tracery found on Baroque string instruments. The names of the individual designs - the Dowland Wrap, Tielke Shawl, Playford Hat, Jaye Mitts, and Simpson Cowl - are borrowed from seventeenth-century composers, instrument-makers, and music teachers and publishers.

The Melisma Scarf’s elegant cables twirl and flow across the backdrop of ribbing like lines of melody and, with only a handful of cable crosses on most of its right side rows, it makes for a breezy and satisfying knit. Choose between a wider or narrower width and add fringe if you wish. The matching Melisma Hat is also available separately.

The Melisma Hat’s elegant cables twirl and flow up from the ribbed brim like lines of melody and, with only a handful of cable crosses on alternating rounds, it makes for a quick and satisfying knit. The matching Melisma Scarf is also available separately.

These little candy-coloured cones make the cutest decorations to brighten up your home. Choose between five different textures including stockinette, mini bobbles, and cables to suit your yarn or attention level—all options are presented in both charted and fully written instructions.

Choose three shades of Appledore DK or other mini skeins or scraps of your choice, and knit yourself a pair of Braeburn Mitts for autumn. These cosy colourwork mitts are named after my favourite variety of apple—not too sweet, not too tart, and gloriously crisp to bite into. The colourwork motifs resemble little trees (or are they slices of fru...

A herb garden is a delight to the senses, a haven for bees, and a fantastic flavour toolkit. My own little pot of herbs inspired the Herb Garden Cowl’s stylised sprigs and leaves framed by delicate linework. Options are included in the pattern for short or tall versions, as well as my favourite tips for knitting beautiful colourwork. The matchi...

A herb garden is a delight to the senses, a haven for bees, and a fantastic flavour toolkit. My own little pot of herbs inspired the Herb Garden Hat’s stylised ring of leaves framed by delicate linework. Three sizes are included in the pattern, as well as my favourite tips for knitting beautiful colourwork. The matching Herb Garden Cowl is avai...

Observatory Gate is a wide cabled scarf inspired by an intricate wrought-iron gate in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, which marks the way to the old Melbourne Observatory. The scarf’s all-over cable pattern ebbs and flows over a background of reverse stockinette, creating a thick and cosy wrap perfect for winter walks.

Columns of lacy leaves and half-twisted ribbing form the crisply-textured fabric of the Beanstalk Cowl, a companion design to the Beanstalk Hat and Beanstalk Shawl. The cowl is worked from the top down, and occasional increase rounds create a tapered shape which allows it to pool gracefully around the neck.

The Heartwood Hat is a deeply-textured & engaging knit, entwined with cables which trace their path from the brim into a ring of knotted hearts, and up into a flowerlike crown. Two sizes are included, each requiring a single skein of DK-weight yarn. The coordinating Heartwood Cowl is available separately, and uses fingering-weight yarn for ...

My two beautiful felines like to keep close tabs on me, lifting their heads from a nap, with green eyes gleaming, to check whether I might be headed for the kitchen. The Cat’s Eye Cowl is a short, cosy cowl featuring bold colourwork inspired by the magical eyes of cats. The pattern includes two height options, and the circumference can be alter...

A thicket of cabled hearts and ribbing encircles the Heartwood Cowl, the dense texture creating a squishy and substantial fabric from fingering-weight yarn. Three height options are included in the pattern, the shortest of which uses only a single skein, and the circumference is easily adjustable to your preference. A coordinating hat pattern i...

In textured lace borrowed from my Beanstalk Shawl, columns of gracefully-curved leaves grow from the Beanstalk Hat’s twisted-rib brim to its star-shaped crown. In addition to two size options, three distinct styles are included in this pattern for you to choose between: the ‘Spring’ version, featuring a single lace panel, ‘Summer’, featuring al...

A fledgling is a young bird who has ventured out of the nest for the first time, still growing out its feathers and gaining independence. With its short floats and simple crown shaping, the Fledgling Hat’s all-over colourwork pattern of short feathers is suitable for those new to stranded knitting. Two sizes are included, as well as tips on ten...

The Simpson Cowl, named for viol-player and composer Christopher Simpson, is a short cowl worked in the round featuring an all-over pattern of intertwining cable motifs. It’s part of the Twisted Strings collection - five accessory patterns inspired by the decorative tracery found on Baroque string instruments.

Named for the viol-maker Henry Jaye, this pair of fingerless mitts features a delicately intertwining cable motif, and simple twisted cables on the palms representing the strings of musical instruments. The Jaye Mitts are part of the Twisted Strings collection - five accessory patterns inspired by the decorative tracery found on Baroque string ...

The Playford Hat, named for the music publisher and bookseller John Playford, is knit in the round from the bottom up in a delicate all-over cable pattern following the twining lines, hearts, and flourishes inscribed on a Baroque violin. This hat is part of the Twisted Strings collection - five accessory patterns inspired by the decorative trac...

The Tielke Shawl, named for a family of musical instrument makers, is an asymmetric triangular shawl featuring a garter stitch ground and a cable panel which flows from simple twisted cables, representing the strings of musical instruments, into a complex intertwining motif. The Tielke shawl is part of the Twisted Strings collection - five acce...

Named for the composer John Dowland, famous for his melancholy songs and instrumental works for viols, the Dowland Wrap is a dramatic rectangular wrap featuring a central cable panel flanked by contrasting garter stitch. It’s part of the Twisted Strings collection - five accessory patterns inspired by the decorative tracery found on Baroque str...

The Orfeo Cowl’s swirling colourwork motifs are inspired by the decorative stamped motifs found in 17thC books and music scores. I scaled up the tiny, tiling motifs which border the title page of Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo (published in Venice in 1609) to create abstract colourwork full of movement and baroque drama. A coordinating hat pattern ...

The Orfeo Hat’s swirling colourwork motifs are inspired by the decorative stamped motifs found in 17thC books and music scores. I scaled up the tiny, tiling motifs which border the title page of Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo (published in Venice in 1609) to create abstract colourwork full of movement and baroque drama. A coordinating cowl pattern ...

Beginning with only a few stitches, columns of gracefully-curved leaves sprout from the edge of the Beanstalk Shawl, forming its triangular shape and climbing towards the bind-off edge. The shawl’s crisply textured lace includes increases and decreases on every row, but with the use of stitch markers between repeats the 6-row leaf pattern soon ...

Making Magazine Issue No.7 / DESERT is available for individual purchase here-

The Windcatcher shawl is inspired by the harbour at the heart of my home city, Wellington, New Zealand. On a calm day, it’s a lovely place to take a walk (or sit with a coffee and knit). The harbour’s gentle waves and sparkling reflections are echoed in the shawl’s textured lace, and the sails of the boats and wings of seabirds are echoed in it...

The Oil Paint Cowl features an all-over colourwork pattern using the ‘marlisle’ technique pioneered by Anna Maltz. The stylised pattern of brushstrokes is stranded using one colour only, and the garter stitch background is worked with both colours held together.

The Whitewater Wrap is inspired by the waterfall in the middle of my hometown, Wairere falls in Whakatane, where I spent a lot of time climbing the rocks as a kid. Half of the wrap is worked in fluid lace inspired by the movement of flowing, rushing water, the stitches shifting direction and catching the light. The garter stitch half of the wra...

Warm up your autumn or sweeten your spring with a beautiful honeycomb-textured shawl!

First published in amirisu Winter 2018, Issue 15.

Aether is the material once believed to fill the sky above the terrestrial sphere, a fifth element through which light travels. Starlight was the inspiration for this geometric lace pattern, with mesh triangles forming a mosaic of starbursts on a background of garter stitch.

Aether is the material once believed to fill the sky above the terrestrial sphere, a fifth element through which light travels. Starlight was the inspiration for this geometric lace pattern, with mesh triangles forming a mosaic of starbursts on a background of garter stitch.

Arcs of ribbing and seed-stitch sprinkles decorate this cute beanie, which can be topped with a pompom or left plain if you prefer.

Burst into summer with a light, asymmetric shawl overgrown with lacy foliage. The glow of bright new leaves against the sky always lifts my mood—to me they represent energy, growth, and hope!

A dramatic yet light wrap for transitional seasons, the Hextile Wrap is knit on the bias for maximum drape and length. Its unfussy stitch patterns are a perfect vehicle for showing off your favourite fingering weight yarn (you will only need two precious skeins)!

A bold, large-scale honeycomb pattern on a soft cosy scarf—this is my dream cold-weather knit! The Beeswax Scarf is the result of my search for a honeycomb stitch that echoes the cable pattern I used in my Beeswax Hat, but which can easily be knit flat. I found a happy solution in this simple, addictive lace on a garter stitch ground. Three wid...

Wrap yourself in a soft, cosy cowl sprinkled with stars! Cinnamon Stars is a long tubular-style cowl which can be worn looped twice around the neck for protection from the elements, or draped in a single stylish loop.

When I visit my hometown of Whakatane, New Zealand, I enjoy going for walks along the river bank to spy on which birds are out and about. There are almost always pukeko and shags and gulls, and quite often a flock of spoonbills or a heron. The Silverwing shawl is my attempt to capture the grace of a white-faced heron with its beautiful long win...

Folia Triangle is the third design in my La Folia Collection, which showcases the possibilities of a simple leafy lace stitch contrasting with garter stitch, and strong geometric shapes.

Folia Loop is the second design in my La Folia Collection, which showcases the possibilities of a simple leafy lace stitch contrasting with garter stitch, and strong geometric shapes. Its diagonal panel of lace evokes a garden of growing vines.

This is the first design in my La Folia Collection, which showcases the possibilities of a simple leafy lace stitch contrasting with garter stitch, and strong geometric shapes.

A fingerless version of the Multifaceted Mittens, these mitts are inspired by the natural geometric shapes of crystals. They feature an all-over stranded design that wraps around the hand, accented by the clean lines of twisted ribbing.

Inspired by the natural geometric shapes of crystals, these Multifaceted Mittens feature an all-over stranded design that wraps around the hand. The pointed top and thumb echo the shapes of the colourwork gems.

Heartpops is a sweet beanie with a texture that really pops! Its embossed hearts are framed by a lattice that flows out of the ribbing, around the hearts, and into a star-shaped crown.

Wrap yourself in a big, beautiful scarf and show off your plumage. Tailfeather is a unisex lace scarf with long interlocking feather motifs.

The Rose Jam Mitts are a toasty pair of worsted-weight fingerless mitts, with an all-over texture inspired by rose petals. The cabled petals, inspired by the heart-shaped petals of old fashioned roses, are easy to knit without a cable needle.

The Rose Jam Hat is a toasty, slouchy, worsted-weight hat with an all-over texture inspired by rose petals. The cabled petals, inspired by the heart-shaped petals of old fashioned roses, emerge from the crown of the hat and cascade down to the ribbed brim.

Deco City is now available as an individual pattern, with charts included in this version.

Above the Clouds is a delightfully cosy winter scarf, inspired by the fluffy, flowing shapes of clouds seen from above. Meandering columns of garter stitch and double moss stitch create the scarf’s fully reversible texture, and the yarn’s soft blend of polwarth, alpaca, and possum is wonderfully cloudlike.

Spacedust is an asymmetrical triangular shawl, designed to make the most of a single skein of wildly variegated sock yarn. Knit on the bias, it drapes beautifully around the neck and shoulders, and is long enough to wear wrapped like a scarf.

A crescent-shaped shawlette with simple lace accents and a stockinette ground. The name ‘Lunate’ means moon-shaped.

Fretboard is a cosy cabled & textured scarf designed to look like the fretboards of stringed instruments. I created the DK-weight ‘four-stringed’ version for a relative who is a talented bass guitar player, and I couldn’t resist knitting one for myself too. Mine has six cabled ‘strings’ like my favourite instrument the viola da gamba, and i...

A unisex beanie with a simple texture perfect for striping. Designed to make the most of a beautiful set of mini-skeins, Ascent is highly customisable.

Peacowl is a slinky lace cowl inspired by Art Nouveau peacock-feather motifs.

‘Field of Stars’ is a drapey, alpaca-rich cowl sprinkled with starbursts. Its orderly array of stars is inspired by Renaissance representations of the night sky in book illustrations and on chapel ceilings. Instead of their glowing blue-and-gold, I’ve used textured stitches to ‘paint’ this cowl with stars.

In the southern hemisphere, we don’t have snow at Christmas-time. But that’s never stopped us making cut-out paper snowflakes to decorate our homes and classrooms - even those of us who haven’t ever seen a real snowflake!

‘Paper Boat’ is a knitted version of a simple origami boat. As kids we made large ones out of newspaper to wear as pirate-captain hats, and little ones out of scrap paper to float in the kitchen sink. Warning: this version doesn’t float!

Paper planes are great fun! There are so many different ways to make them - and some will soar across the room or into the distance, while others take an immediate nose-dive. The ‘Paper Planes’ hat features a ring of classic paper airplanes as seen from above, outlined with twisted stitches for nice crisp edges.

‘Paper Hearts’ is inspired by the little heart-shaped baskets I made as a kid - we would weave them from coloured paper, fill them with sweets and hang them from the Christmas tree. The hearts encircling this hat are outlined with simple mini-cables, and filled with a knit-purl texture to create the woven look.

Paper Crown is a knitted version of the classic paper hat of birthday-party and Christmas-cracker fame. The crown shape is formed with simple mini-cables, which outline the transition from the ribbed brim to the stockinette top.

The Beeswax Mitts are a pair of cosy, cabled hand-warmers, completing the set of Beeswax Hat, Cowl, and Mitts. They all feature the same double-layered honeycomb pattern, flowing naturally into and out of the ribbing. The stretchy stitch patterns help ensure a good fit, and the shaping around the thumbs blends into the surrounding honeycomb.

The Beeswax Cowl is a cosy, generously-sized neck-warmer, the matching complement to the Beeswax Hat and Mitts. It features the same double-layered honeycomb pattern, flowing naturally into and out of the ribbed edges.

Bees are exceptionally clever creatures. Honeybees use their beeswax to create strong and highly efficient honeycomb structures, which they use for accommodation, food storage, and a place to raise their larvae. The Beeswax Hat and the matching Cowl and Mitts celebrate the beauty of this structure.

Seaswell is a stripy triangular shawl inspired by the sea. Its wave-patterned border is adapted from a Victorian stitch pattern known variously as ‘shell pattern’ or ‘fan pattern’. I have substituted simple kfb increases instead of yarn-overs for a less lacy look, and included double-decreases to sharpen the crests of the ‘waves’. Put this stit...

A cosy hat to keep you warm on your wanderings, inspired by the fronds of New Zealand’s native ferns such as the iconic ponga tree. The fern-frond stitch pattern is formed with simple lace increases and decreases.

Bubble & Squeak is a cosy cabled beanie hat, with optional pompoms. It’s a remix of my Carrot Top design, which is where it gets its name: in my family, leftover vegetables get mashed up and fried, and called ‘bubble and squeak’. I’m not sure why. But it is delicious!

A pair of colourwork Daleks fight it out on these toasty stranded mittens!

A lightweight textured scarf, designed in honour of my favourite literary wizard, Gandalf the Grey.

A starry stranded beret to match your Starstuff mitts, featuring a crown of stars around the brim and star-shaped decreases on top.

A long, crescent-shaped shawl with great drape and airiness, inspired by a rainbow appearing on a grey rainy day. Bright colours excite me, and as a sure-fire pick-me-up, beautifully-dyed sock yarn is in a class of its own!

A tribute to the iconic baddies of Doctor Who! Stylised enough to be mistaken for a geometric design by the uninitiated, stealthy Daleks are stationed right around the hat, to guard your head from the cold.

Do you suffer from redhead envy?

Dyeing your own yarn is wonderful and addictive! Using food-safe dyes in your kitchen and coming up with your own colour schemes is fun, easy, and safe. But what to do with all your crazy-coloured little skeins?

This is an homage to old-school video games, which I designed for my friend Rowan. It shows a Space Invaders cannon playing Tetris by firing the blocks down the length of the scarf.

A dramatic lace wrap with beads representing the stars of the night sky. The central beaded star-chart covers the zodiac and neighbouring constellations.

This delicate lace scarf is inspired by the one worn by Amy Pond in the Doctor Who episodes ‘Vampires of Venice’ and ‘Vincent and the Doctor’.

A starry pair of stranded mitts, named in honour of the astronomer and populariser of science, Carl Sagan.