My idea behind the Guiding Principles Collection was to portray qualities that we want to possess throughout the new year (2020). Guiding Principles Collection addresses the aspirations that we have for the new year, as well as the characteristics we need to possess throughout the year in order to achieve these aspirations. The characteristics that I selected are: Endurance, Patience, Trust, and Hope.
This collection consists of four shawl designs, each shawl containing different motifs and creating different shapes. The Endurance Shawl, entirely comprised of garter stitch to form an asymmetrical triangle, is the most basic of the four designs. The Patience Shawl, comprised of detailed lace motifs to create a top-down triangle, is the most detailed, time-consuming, and difficult of the four designs. The Trust Shawl, comprised of simple knits-and-purls textures, creates a 3/4 shape created by three triangles. Finally, the Hope Shawl is a quick, lightweight crescent shawl created with a simple lace motif.
Endurance Shawl
Optimism and excitement accompany the freshness of the new year, but these emotions quickly dissipate as the days grow monotonous again. To follow through with our goals for the year, endurance is a necessary characteristic in the simple, ordinary days. Often, the “ordinary days” feel monotonous, boring, and maybe even tiring. Most days aren’t filled with great adventures, new achievements, or exotic experiences, but there is much to be found in these days: small beauties, joy, and laughter. And, each day adds up to fulfill goals and dreams.
The Endurance Shawl represents the monotony of everyday life. Knitting garter is very basic – and perhaps boring – but finding the beauty in this pattern is all about the colors that you choose and the simplicity of garter. Remember, every stitch is adding up to create something you’ll love! And unlike life, you can sit back and visit with friends, watch your kids play, or travel as this shawl works up like quick magic! If you find that you’re getting bored, just change the colors again.
The Endurance Shawl pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry, PatternVine, and Love Crafts.
Patience Shawl
“Patience is a virtue,” we’ve all heard it a million times. If only it were as easy to practice as it is to say! Beginning a new year, we know that many of our goals will take longer to achieve than we’d like to think. Or, we get partway into the year and realize we had unrealistic expectations. But don’t let that stop you! Continue to take each step – with patience – and pay attention to details so a little mistake doesn’t set you farther back.
The Patience Shawl references meticulous parts of life that slow us down when we are racing at full-speed. The lace motifs encourage the knitter to slow down, enjoy the details, and press forward with patience, and the result is a gorgeous triangular shawl with six optional tassels.
The Patience Shawl pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry, PatternVine, and Love Crafts.
Trust Shawl
When the future is uncertain, how do you react? When everything turns upside down, how do you feel? Many things throughout the coming year can’t be controlled, good or bad. An instinctive reaction is to stress, to worry, to be anxious, to resort to fear and frustration; but these reactions cause harm and damage our well-being.
The Trust Shawl originates from my desire to trust rather than exercise my anxiety – trust that everything will work out, that good can come out of every situation, and that it is ok to relax. This shawl represents the solid, grounded things that we can depend on – the things that carry weight and won’t be easily moved. I used one solid, deep-toned color and repeated familiar, weighty, structured motifs throughout the shawl. There are no surprises, and you can trust what you’re getting into: just some knits and purls. It is designed as a ¾ shawl, representative of a big hug that you can trust on for comfort and coziness.
The Trust Shawl pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry, PatternVine, and Love Crafts.
Hope Shawl
At the beginning of a new year, sentiments of hope and opportunity are abounding and overwhelming, manifesting emotions of optimism and enthusiasm. In the midst of this excitement, dreams are created, resolutions are declared, and goals are set. As days pass, hope fades and discouragement settles, hindering the prospect of achievement. To obtain our goals, we must daily foster our hope for the future.
The Hope Shawl captures the essence of hope: its lively but calming, uplifting and freeing characteristics. This design is comprised of open, simple textures that are joyful to knit. I used a beautiful and lively mutli-color yarn to emphasize the lightweight, cheerful characteristics of hope.
When you grow weary of long days and short-comings, let the Hope Shawl remind you of what gives you hope and fills you with enthusiasm.
The Hope Shawl pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry, PatternVine, and Love Crafts.
Which is your favorite shawl, and why? (For more ideas on color inspiration, be sure to visit the following links: Endurance Shawl Color Inspiration, Patience Shawl Color Inspiration, Trust Shawl Color Inspiration, and Hope Shawl Color Inspiration.)