Sunrise Stole

In issue 81 we feature Helen Free's light and lacy Sunrise Stole.

Made with a baby alpaca and silk blend yarn for a sumptuous feel, Inside Crochet readers can save on the RRP when ordering the yarn directly from designer Helen Free at www.enfys.me.uk/ic81.htm

Sunrise Stole by Helen Free

Helen says: "You know sometimes you touch some yarn and it just sort of jumps into your shopping basket? You have no idea what you want to do with it but you have to have it. So you take it home and wait until it tells you what it wants to be.

This happens frequently to me. In fact, I have a "Yarn Petting Bowl". It’s a glass owl put in a place that I walk past frequently. I put special yarn in and stroke every time I walk past. Occasionally, one of the yarns jumps out, telling me what it wants to be.

The Malabrigo Silkpaca wanted to be a stole.  It had to use the both colours in stripes but not just any type of stripe, diagonal stripes gradually going from one colour to the other.  This meant a corner to corner lacy pattern.  I tried a few but getting a right angle at the corners in a lacy pattern is not the easiest thing to do.

This yarn is amazing to work with.  It glides through your fingers and over the hook with a soft sensuous touch.  It makes you wish that the ball of yarn is never ending.  Unfortunately, it is but by the time it ends will have a beautiful stole which more than makes up for the loss.  And there is always more yarn to buy."

MATERIALS
● Malabrigo Silkpaca, 70% alpaca/30% silk, 50g/384m/420yds
Yarn A: Sunset SA096 x 1 skein
Yarn B: Pollen SA019 x 1 skein
● 3.5mm hook

TENSION
Exact tension is not critical for this pattern. When blocking, stretch the fabric as much as you reasonably can. After blocking the stole will shrink slightly as the yarn regains some of its elasticity.

MEASUREMENTS
Length approx: 140cm/55in.
Width approx: 45cm/17¾in.

DESIGNER BIOGRAPHY
Helen Free is a talented designer and tutor living in the Cambridgeshire Fens. She loves working with colour and creating quirky designs as you can see on her website at www.enfys.me.uk.Helen teaches weekly crochet lessons and workshops in Cambridgeshire and is planning to run another weekend course in autumn.