Tide Turner Shawl

Having always lived close to the sea, it is perhaps no surprise that I find inspiration in the waves, the salty air, the changing colour of water, the shapes of shells and the patterns of tides drawn out on sandy beaches. The regularity of tides, much like the rhythm of knitting, has been a calming influence, particularly at a time when I was given a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome, a neurological tic disorder. For me, knitting has become a meditative activity. An occasional row of colour work, or, as in this design, cables which need more concentration, refocuses drifting or intrusive thoughts back to the present in a mindful way. This triangular shawl is worked from side-to-side, smallest point to smallest point. Its cable design reaches a “high tide” in the middle, then re-traces its steps to the cast off. I hope you will find its squishy rib a comfort to make and wear, particularly when you need reminding that the tide will always turn, and your ebb will again become a flow