Savage Gardens Scarf

This shawl was initially designed for the 2021 Miss Babs Book Club, and is now publicly available on Ravelry.

I usually rely on my travel experiences for design inspiration, but given the current limitations on travel I have come to rely on armchair journeys - to take me to new destinations and even back in time. The mystery novel, Mycroft and Sherlock by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse, evokes images of Victorian London – in both its well-heeled and impoverished neighborhoods. It tells a tale of the bonds of brotherhood amid a series of human tragedies and a period of intrigue. My design for this unisex scarf attempts to capture this slice of Victorian London in three stitch patterns: a knit-and-purl texture pavement pattern that is the background; a sturdy lace panel that represents the wrought ironwork of gates to wealthy homes as well as the bond of brotherhood; and an eyelet pattern of drops that can be seen as rain, tears, or spilled blood.