Yarn Along and a Giveaway!

Once again, it's the Yarn Along with my fellow knitters and Ginny at Small Things!

I am delighted to say that my third ring of swatches is nearly done! Just yesterday morning I bound off the third sided in the four-sided design:

Once again, I really must reiterate how beautiful this third ring really is. Initially, I was actually planning on using a different pattern here. However, the more I thought through and examined the available options, the more I realized that this fluid yet complex design was precisely what I wanted.

As I suspected, the knitting is going quite speedily now that I've eased into a creative rhythm. I have already picked up the edge stitches for the final panel in this pattern and started to knit!

As for my reading, I'll be back over the weekend or early next week to chronicle my continued adventures in Marc Bloch's fantastic Feudal Society, Vol. 1. This is such a rich, exciting classic - I cannot wait to read more!

In the meantime, you might enjoy my recent post comparing a particularly poignant passage from Anglo-Saxon literature with another from Tolkien's The Two Towers. The similarities are incredible! Here's the beautiful Old English manuscript page to whet your appetite...

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Now, on to the giveaway! Besides being a wonderful day for knitting and reading, this Wednesday also happens to be my 18th birthday. I am so grateful to have all of you wonderful readers as a part of my life as I embark on this exciting new year, so I just wanted to offer a little thank-you by way of a giveaway. Like many of you, my Ravelry queue is filled with a wealth of glorious patterns I have yet to find the time or the yarn to knit. I've selected three - ones that I'm eager to try this year and which have a connection to Medieval art, literature, or lore - and am offering one to a lucky reader! All you have you do is leave a comment here between February 13th and 20th detailing your email address or Rav name (however you would prefer to receive the pattern) along with your favorite pattern from these three. On the 21st I'll select one happy winner via a random number generator, and send her the pattern she selected!

The Patterns:

Narwhal Mittens, by Ysolda Teague

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Created by popular Scottish designer Ysolda Teague, these mittens not only look wonderfully cozy but bear witness to a truly remarkable animal. It is increasingly supposed that narwhals are more than just the unicorns of the sea - many historians now believe that the "unicorn horns" one prized by Medieval kings were actually narwhal tusks sold to them by northern tradesmen (such as our beloved Norse).

Celestarium, by Audrey Nicklin

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The stars were remarkably important in Medieval culture, both for practical and mystical reasons (which latter function C.S. Lewis brilliantly explains in The Discarded Image). As a result, I can't help but think of the intricate Medieval cosmology whenever I see this shawl designed to convey a map of the night sky.

Alys Cardigan, by Bristol Ivy

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I have always been particularly enamored with the stunning artwork of the Iron Age, so when I first saw this beautiful cardigan I was just thrilled. Besides being aesthetically lovely, this sweater has edges that subtly twist to emulate the torcs commonly worn during the British Iron Age.

Best of luck!!! I can't wait to hear what your favorite will be!