Andrea is holding a pile of blue knitted fabric with cables and stranded colourwork. On top of the pile is what looks like a neatly folded pair of socks.

You need an epic project. I made one for me that I’m sharing with you. Here’s the story.

If you have a sister, you probably stole from her closet. I certainly did, and I had some interesting options that may not have been available to the average teen. That’s because my sister Jenni had learned to sew and the things that she was sewing were for medieval reenactment. In my semi-goth phase, my favourite thing to borrow without asking was a pale pink and green floral brocade bodice that laced up the front with enormous silver grommets. It paired perfectly with my flowing black embroidered tulle skirt.

From making brocade bodices, Jenni’s sewing projects just got more elaborate. She has made lush velvet renaissance gowns with puffed sleeves and pearl edges. She has sewn extravagant silk tailcoats. And yes, she did sew my wedding dress. I’m showing it from the back below because that’s the fanciest part! (I never got over loving those industrial size silver grommets on a bodice.)

Andrea and her partner are walking away down an outdoor corridor. He's wearing a suit and she's wearing a white dress with an enormous bustle and a bodice laced up the back with big silver grommets.

When she told me she was getting married the first thought that popped into my mind was that the clothes would be incredible. I was thrilled.

And Jenni’s vision was even grander than I had imagined. In the planning phase, we got to sit side-by-side with cups of mint tea, excitedly sharing links to yardage of white silk charmeuse, colourful floral embroidered tulle, and rich blue velvet. She helped me find a pattern for the silk drawers and corset cover that I would sew as a gift for under her dress and we decided on a Titanic (the movie) costume pattern for the bridesmaids dresses. I’d never sewn such theatrical clothes before, but I figured if I can make jeans I can make a velvet gown. And I did. And yes, it was a process.

Andrea is wearing a blue gown with a velvet skirt and sash and an overskirt with colourful embroidered floral tulle. White lace and a blue silk band adorn the bodice.

And since you’re a knitter, you know what came next. That dazzling, over-the-top gown would absolutely need to be accompanied by an equally remarkable knit shawl.

I was in downward dog and just about to bring my right leg forward for Warrior two when the idea for the shawl began to coalesce in my mind. Matching the colours would be the trickiest part so my first question was, which yarn? Which yarn company did I know that had those kinds of blues? Who had those vivid reds and pinks? Could I get a gradient set? By the time I arrived in shavasana, it had become clear to me that I knew exactly who to ask.

If you just guessed Catherine at Gauge Dye Works, of course you got it! It’s no secret that Catherine and I have been collaborating on design and yarn combinations for over five years now and it was a natural fit when I needed custom colours. However, elaborate, enormous accessories are not our usual style. Normally, Catherine and I create single-skein projects that are approachable for all kinds of knitters. We love to create designs that are straightforward with just one little spicy element to make it exciting.

I knew right away that this would not be that. This was going to be enormous, both in the amount of yarn needed and in the number and challenge of the techniques. Frankly, this was the kind of design I would probably just make for myself and never share except in photos. (There are reasons that patterns like this often don’t get published. That’s a whole other essay that I am hoping to write.)

But I knew that working with Catherine on this project would be ideal, so I asked her if she might be up for it. Happily, she was excited to work with me on this very special personal project and enthusiastic about helping me figure out the logistics of how we could share it with you.

She started by matching yarn colours to my fabric samples. Seeing the florals and velvet reflected in soft wool was magical and inspirational to me. I started with the idea of a half pi shawl in various lace motifs that faded through all the colours in the gown. That idea turned out to look a lot like a carnival and I was looking for something a bit more elegant. So I changed my approach completely and switched to a triangle shape with cables, lace, and colourwork florals, fading through just the shades of blue for the main body of the shawl and fading through pinks for the florals. I was inspired by classic piano shawls and originally thought I might add fringe, but that was a bit too extra in the end. (Don’t worry — we do have a project that uses all the fun colours from the fabric. Of course we can’t bring ourselves to make just one thing with this palette! Think of it as a bonus project. More on that soon.)

Jenni wanted her wedding to have a whimsical garden theme and the ceremony and reception were held at a serene lakeside park near her home in Colorado. So I loved the idea of reflecting the embroidered flowers and leaves from my gown through texture and colour work on my shawl to celebrate that outdoor mood.

Two days before the May wedding, it was snowing hard and the ground was icy. But when the afternoon actually arrived and we walked through an aisle of friends and family on the grassy lawn, holding great big colourful bouquets of roses and poppies, the sun was shining warmly. Jenni was stunning in a white dress with lace and velvet and silk and pearls. As we celebrated with champagne toasts and the air started to cool, I wrapped my perfect shawl around my shoulders and smiled at the goslings gliding on the lake.

A serene bright landscape with a leafy tree in the foreground and a peaceful lake with two rows of geese and goslings gliding along the surface in the background.

You’ll be able to cast on your own epic Garden Wedding shawl project next week, Wednesday, July 27. If you don’t want to miss the yarn and pattern launch and want in on the introductory discount, be sure to subscribe to my email list.

Update: The pattern has been published! Here’s a link to the pattern and here’s a link to the yarn.

Closeup of knitted fabric in blue textured lace and cables with big gradient pink florals along the edge.

You need an epic project

You need an epic project. I made one for me that I’m sharing with you. Here’s the story.

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