I became a fan of Ms. Rice's writing when she introduced me to Louis de Point du Lac. I was swept away. A dozen books later and she's like an old friend. I know when I pick up one of her books I will be transported. Some of her chosen subject matters are not my taste but the lady turns a phrase so well it pirouettes. A few years ago my brother talked me into getting on Facebook. We have a huge family and it's become the best way to keep current with each other. Imagine my delight when I found the page of my darling Anne Rice. The best part of joining her page is that she herself interacts with her fans on Facebook.
I don't always agree with her point of view but I enjoy the conversations she has with her fans. The topics are wide ranging from ebay to her recent decisions about her religion. Somewhere in there she mentioned, many, many times, that she loved the BBC series Lark Rise to Candleford. I had never heard of it but her praise got me curious. A trip to the library yielded the first season and before episode one was over I was hooked. It's not high drama and it's not Jane Austen but it is sweet, sincere and delightful. Several times it reminded me of Little House on the Prairie if it had been done by the BBC.
The story is set in the late 1890s and for me half the fun of watching is the costumes. Being the late nineteenth century there are handknits and a crocheted shawl that caught my eye.
The actress is Claudie Blakley and she plays Emma Timmins, the mother of the main character Laura Timmins. In several episodes she wears this shawl and I kept finding myself distracted from the storyline by it. I've concluded it's a large granny square folded on point and draped over her shoulders. In a few other screenshots the underlying portion of the square shows through. After abusing my DVD player's pause button I figured out the color sequence. Unfortunately the center of the square wasn't visible in either of the first two seasons so I made an educated guess. I'm pretty pleased with what I created.
This is the square folded on point.
And this is the square laid out flat.
The finished size was larger than I had planned but it's not so large that I can't wear it. The entire design is based on staring at my TV, thumbing through the Knit Picks catalog and guessing. I think the yarn colors are a good match but if I were to make it again I'd probably go down a hook size or two.
Emma Shawl
Crochet Hook G (4.0 mm)
6 skeins of Bittersweet Heather
6 skeins of Marble Heather
3 skeins of Sky
It is a basic American double crochet granny square which is treble crochet for those using the British system. Each cluster is 3dc with a ch1 between them. The corners are 3dc ch2 3dc. You can find basic granny square directions here or here or here and adjust them to the stitch count I used to get the same square I made.
The color placement is as follows:
2 rounds Bittersweet
2 rounds Marble
3 rounds Sky
3 rounds Bittersweet
3 rounds Marble
3 rounds Sky
3 rounds Bittersweet
3 rounds Marble
3 rounds Sky
3 rounds Bittersweet
3 rounds Marble
6 rounds Bittersweet
3 rounds Marble
6 rounds Bittersweet
3 rounds Marble
2 rounds Bittersweet
1 round Sky
2 rounds Bittersweet
6 rounds Marble
1 round Sky
1 round of shell edging in Sky: 11 dc in each corner, *7dc in first ch1 space, sc in next ch1 space* repeat between * and * around. You may have to fudge it a bit just make sure you do the 11 dc in the corners or it won't lay flat.
Here is the link to the Emma Shawl on Ravelry. If you make this let me know. I'd love to see it.
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