We're so happy to have Kalliopi Aronis of Little Brown Sheep tell the tale of her new pattern:

I was so happy when Anzula contacted me to let me know a new yarn was on the way! How exciting! Even better, the fiber content of Ava is the same as Squishy, my favorite (although now it's tying with Ava).

Would I like to design with it? Of course! And with that I was off tearing through the house to find my Moleskin notebook. 

I had a general idea of what I wanted to do withing the time constraints, something that didn't need sizing and something larger than an accessory. My first thought was a large throw.

Then reality sank in.

Maybe a baby blanket would be a better size... That would be an interesting photo-shoot to take on with no cribs or babies available. Perhaps a lap blanket, that's a real thing, right?

I poured through Anzula colorways and Aqua and Blueberry looked particularly Mediterranean to me. I grew up in Greece and having the sea as my playground is something for which I've always been incredibly grateful. I didn't live on an island, but the sea by my apartment would take on the most amazing colors; pale greens on a calm day or dark grays during strong winds. And the blue waters matching the shutters of the island homes. How could I not incorporate that? With the overall design and colors chosen I sent Anzula my idea and request for yarn.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and some yarn winding on my knees. I then started working on my swatch and I had an epiphany. If there's something I don't feel like knitting why would anyone else want to knit it?

I asked myself a few questions: Do I care more about making it complicated or just interesting enough where I could still watch Property Brothers and not have to pay too much attention? What is the root cause of the abandoned 25 WIPs in my china cabinet?

After some thought I realized that the cause of my WIPs is that I simply lost interest. Either the pattern was too difficult, too easy, or the yarn didn't want to become a stole/sock/vest. so how could I prevent this from happening in my own design?

I’m big on memorizable yet impressive patterns and I wanted them to retain a Mediterranean influence that would blend cohesively with the colors. After some more swatching, I decided on an easier lace pattern with simple repeats and reverse stockinette borders which turned to lovely waves below the lace and a textured pattern for the blue as opposed to a Greek key, which would’ve involved more chart reading.

Now there’s nice balance between the lace and colored resting rows. It has achieved the look I was going for, a reflection of the ubiquitous island architecture, a beach with a stone walkway leading up to a white house framed by beautiful flowers.

Working with Ava is like a dream. It’s a wonderful yarn, incredibly soft and warm. The stitch definition is wonderful, every stitch shows up crisply and cleanly. It makes the blanket a uniquely beautiful work of art.

So bring a piece of the Mediterranean into your home with this cozy lap blanket. Perhaps you’ll even catch a whiff of the salty sea…

You can find the pattern for Mediterranean Seas Lap Blanket on Ravelry and the Ava yarn at VK Live this weekend in the Yarnover Truck booth (121-123). 

Can't make it to VK Live? No worries, Ava will be appearing in shops soon. If you want it even sooner you can always place a special order at your favorite Anzula shop.