***Persephone Neckerchief pattern by Alitzah Grant

A printed colour copy of this beautiful shawl pattern designed by my lovely friend Alitzah Grant @ofblithespirit

This is a perfect one skein shawl designed for 100g of hand dyed 4ply

"Like many people, I am always at my happiest when I start to see the little harbingers of spring starting to show. First the snowdrops, then the daffodils and the air starting to fill with the sound of birdsong. It gives me hope and I am reminded of one of my favourite of the Greek Myths – Demeter and Persephone.

In case you aren’t familiar with the story, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter – the Greek deity closely akin to Mother Earth. When Persephone was taken by Hades to the underworld to become his wife, Demeter begged Persephone not to eat whilst she was there as it would mean she would be trapped, never to see the world again. However, Persephone did eat six seeds from a pomegranate which led to her having to remain underground for six months of the year and above ground for the other six. According to the Myth, Spring is Demeter’s celebration of her daughter’s return to the Earth.
I wanted my Persephone shawl to reflect the optimism that this time of year brings and to be, at once, simple yet beautiful. The shawl has a wide wingspan coming from a central, simple lace panel and is designed to tie loosely around your shoulders. It is a gentle, repetitive pattern that is a joy to knit.
I want to give a big Thank You to Lucy at Lucy Locket Land for all her support and for believing in me and for test knitting and pattern editing.
I hope you enjoy knitting it."