This wrap is inspired by beautiful white oak baskets handcrafted by the locals many years ago in the Shenandoah Valley, and an homage to my grandparents, who instilled in me an appreciation for craft and creativity.
The Story
My grandparents, Chuck and Nan, were folklorists and professors. Their life’s work often involved giving a voice to the voiceless and downtrodden; they spent many years recording the stories of those less fortunate than themselves. Before they passed away, they were working on a book about the residents of Nicholson Hollow in the Shenandoah Valley. In the early 1900s, the government removed many families from their homes in order to form the Shenandoah National Park. Although these communities were fairly independent from outside society, the Nicholson family was well known for their beautiful and sturdy white oak baskets. My grandparents collected a variety of these baskets while documenting the struggles of the Great Depression and this largely hushed-up mass eviction.
One of these baskets sits in my office, full to the brim with yarn of course. The smooth, honey-colored strips of wood and simple, angular weave begged to be recreated in my favorite medium. Thus, this wrap was born.
The Pattern
Nicholson Hollow is worked lengthwise, from top to bottom, in three sections. The stitches used here are all quite simple, even for the lace, but the sections are varied enough to keep things interesting despite the long rows.
This wrap is squishy, cozy, and warm. It’s easy to customize the width by working more repeats of the pattern. The design is also simple enough to stand up to colorful or variegated yarns. I think it looks especially striking with a light-colored yarn, but choose whatever color you like best!
You can find this pattern on Ravelry here or in my Etsy shop here. A launch discount of 15% off will be automatically applied from now until Saturday 2/23/19. I am so excited to present my first knitwear design, and there will be many more to come!
