Schiehallion Point Pullover - design inspiration and a 2020 escape

The Schiehallion Point Pullover 

This design was a couple of months project for the Hook & Light Advent Calendar, where I almost completed it... and then frogged the whole lot and started again (a really bad trait of mine). But working with 24 glorious 20g mini skeins of Falkland merino 4ply by Hook & Light was a real honor and pleasure I was happy to do it all over again. The colours they achieve from nature just blows my mind! I have tried to dye some of my own yarn (from one of their kits) with varied success, but I do hope to try some more.

    

This is a relaxed and comfortable fit tunic length pullover, with meditative and calming moss stitch gives a gorgeous rhythm and showcases the ebbs and flows of the natural charm and beauty of the variations in colour. Subtle yet striking seaming details add a touch of fun and difference. Grab your tools, get cosy, enjoy the surprise each day, trust the process, and indulge in your finished garment in January, February and beyond. It is my go-to weekend comfort, especially for lazy Sunday dog walks.

The pattern is available from your preferred platform of choice (Etsy, Ravelry, LoveCrafts) just check the links under my bio on the blog.

If knitting is more your jam, then check out Iris' Advent Wrap!

The background and Inspiration

You don’t need me to tell you what 2020 brought us all. All bar one of our travel plans were scampered, we drove the freeing 448 miles into the Scottish Highlands for a quiet and secluded getaway (of course, making sure to stop halfway at Barnard Castle en route to check our eyesight, we are not animals). We went on beautiful lustrous hikes through hillside woodland, up to hidden waterfalls, and alongside lochside havens. Dominating the view from our lodge was Schiehallion, one of Scotland's most loved and best known landmarks. 

On the 6th August we would climb our first mountain. At an elevation of 1,083 meters above sea level it is classified as a Munroe mountain (albeit one of the easiest). I am not a fit person, and could do with losing more than a couple of pounds, but having done it, I am very proud to be able to say ‘I’ve climbed a mountain’. I stopped and despaired ‘I don’t think I can do this’ more than I care to admit having not even reached halfway up, it was easily one of the most difficult physical things I have ever done and certainly pushed my resilience and resolve.

     



I wrote this up as the background and inspiration to my Scheihallion Point Pullover pattern, so why did I include it? Mainly to impress that you, yes you, really can do anything. After all the uphill struggle, I hopped, skipped and jumped over the last 30 minutes of giant rocks along the ridgeback to the summit point. Whenever I am having a bad day, particularly when hitting designer doubt or block, I just tell myself I can do it, because I climbed a mountain I didn’t think I could.



Mentality aside, the inspirations of nature and colour in the Scottish Highlands and Hillsides are endless. Rolling green hills laden with heather broken only by streams and streaking clouds. It is easy to get lost whilst being centered and nurtured in and by the surroundings. Hook & Light’s tenacity and skills in drawing out beautiful colours from mother earth's bounty to their yarn transports me back to this moment, landscape and beyond.