Heddi Craft of Heddi Craft Designs joins us with the story of her new shawl pattern, Roxanne, which was released last week:

I first learned about Anzula yarns at the 2015 STITCHES West show. I was almost unable to choose from amongst all the lovely colors and fibers. However, Meridian drew me in with its beautiful sheen and drape. I used my precious skein to create the prototype for my Kerti Shawl and found that it was an ideal yarn to work with because of its subtle color variations and crisp blocking. The generous skein gave me plenty of yarn to experiment.

Early this year, my local yarn shop held a trunk show for Anzula and I purchased another skein of Meridian, this time in the sky blue Alice colorway. Two months later I learned that my midwife, Roxanne Cummings, who was with me for the birth of all three of my children, had passed away. I knew that skein needed to be knitted in her honor-- it represented the springtime sky and the hope and light that my midwife brought to so many families in my area.

In designing this shawl, I chose patterns that evoked growth and change. Working on the shawl became a part of my grieving process. Even when the design had setbacks and I had to rework the border, I found that I didn't mind-- it gave me more time to spend with the fond memories of my friend.

Roxanne Shawl in Meridian, colorway Alice

Meridian is quickly becoming my favorite lace-weight yarn and was the perfect yarn for this project. In addition to opening up and blocking beautifully, the tencel gives it a shine and brightness, the alpaca provides softness, and the little bit of nylon gives it strength. Light, softness, and strength were what Roxanne brought to my births as well, so it really was an ideal match. the tonal dyeing technique that Anzula uses really adds to depth to the shawl without distracting from the lace design.