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Laura Patterson

for Fiber Dreams 2010

FD-41 Hesperia
WEB EXCLUSIVE

In looking for a name for this design I was once again faced with what I’ve always considered to be a very strange thing. Most flowers that people call blue are in fact some shade of purple. It’s difficult to find a truly blue flower. There is one in particular that has truly blue flowers, but as a pattern name it’s awful: Plumbago. Plumbago would have been perfect, as its sky blue flowers come in clusters that almost completely cover the plant. It’s glorious. But the name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? I considered using one of Plumbago’s common names, but those didn’t suit this design at all. I called in assistance from the wonderful woman, Claudia, who test knit this pattern for me. She suggested Hesperia, a variety of the fabulous Jacaranda trees that grow both in her part of the world and in mine. Perfect.

Hesperia is a triangular shawl knit from the top edge to the bottom point—but with a twist. The total width of the shawl is cast on, and it decreases every right side row until the bottom center point is reached. The pattern is written in five sizes: x-small [small, medium, large, x-large]. Stitch pattern is charted only.