Golden North and the Furl Hat

When I moved to the UK, I saw the entire country as a very small place, with the journey from London to Edinburgh a mere 4.5 hours on the train, nearly within day-trip distance by my Canadian standards!  Over time, the distances have lengthened in my mind, and I now view the 90 minute drive to visit the family in Dundee as a weekend trip distance!

Visits to England have not been as frequent as I imagined, and my original feeling that the UK was a singular and unified place (that the inhabitants seem to love to carve up into little separate entities in their mind), has also gradually waned.  I now feel a sense of excitement when we drive down the England, and a corresponding sense of nostalgia and pleasure upon our return north, bound for Scotland and home.

Furl, a new design by Clare Devine, knit in this month’s limited edition Nostalgia Club yarn!

The photo that inspired this month’s Nostalgia Club colourway was taken on a lovely autumn evening on the drive northward from Yorkshire to Scotland.  It was just a quick snap out the car window, taken on a lovely golden evening.  I remember the pensive mood I was in at the time, having a great chat with John, and watching the landscape roll by as day gave way to dusk.

I love the autumn, the falling leaves, the changing weather, and the sense of change that comes along with shifting seasons.  This golden colour is an ode to the possibilities of this season.  This month’s yarn, Lush Chunky, is also an admission of the cold rolling in – it’s our warmest and coziest yarn base, perfect for quick-knitting accessories.

November’s Nostalgia Club yarn is ‘golden north’ on Rainbow Heirloom Lush Chunky.

Rainbow Heirloom LUSH CHUNKY
weight: chunky weight yarn
content: 100% baby alpaca
yardage: 110 yds (100 m) per 100 g skein
needles: 4.5 to 6.5 mm (US 7-10.5)
gauge: 14 – 20 sts = 10 cm (4”)
care: hand wash and lay flat to dry

Furl, a lovely leaf-lace hat is a pleasure to knit, and cozy to wear.

Furl is a new design by Clare Devine, of Yarn and Pointy Sticks.  I was lucky to meet and become friends with Clare while she lived in Edinburgh, and she’s been kind enough to design with my yarn.  Furl is the first of 2 hat designs she’s done in Lush Chunky… then next is coming soon!  Get the pattern here, and read more about the design inspiration on Clare’s blog too.

With gorgeous leaf lace, Furl is a pleasure to knit, and makes a lovely gift, or a new winter hat for you!  Find the pattern on Ravelry, and shop the update tonight to get skeins of RH Lush Chunky in ‘golden north’, this month’s limited edition Nostalgia Club colourway, or a number of other available colours.In addition to Lush Chunky, tonight’s update will have a few skeins of Lush Light and Lush Lace!  Let these bright and bold shades be an antidote to the cold dark and dreary days ahead!  I’d suggest a lovely lacey shawl or cuddly cowl project.

Sunflower Shawl, knit in Rainbow Heirloom Lush Light in ‘aussie sunshine’.