A beautiful new pattern by Nim Teasdale, The Idle Garden is (to quote Nim): "...a flexible, crescent shaped shawl with a textured wildflower body transitioning gently into an elaborate botanical lace with some fun new stitches to learn.

Both the yoke and the lace can be repeated indefinitely, and bound off wherever you please, allowing the shawl to be worked to any size or yardage."

She further says: 

The name is due to the serendipitous alignment of the edging lace being designed by the amazing Naomi Parkhurst, based on the word idyll, and the yarn being named Gardeners, Idle.

So this is a shawl for enjoying the results of hard labour in the dirt, or perhaps for simply savouring the magic of living, growing, endlessly fascinating nature as a means to restore care-worn spirits.

Yarn and Colorways

This pattern can be knit in your choice of yarn weights fro lace to sport (you will have to choose a needle size to suit your yarn/gauge preference), and looks great in solid, gradient or very gently dappled colour.

We do not offer kits using the same yarn or colors that Nim chose (though our colors come pretty close).  You can see our offering in the inset photo on the top picture on this page and again below that. 

Our yarn is from Freia Fibers, their new Shaniko yarn.  This is a three ply 100% US Shanikko mulesing-free superwash Merino with 456 yards (416m) per 100g ball. (Shaniko wool comes from a cross-breed of Merino and Rambouillet sheep.) 

The colorway is Kelp Forest and runs from a teal into a deep olive to a lighter hue.  Or vice versa, depending on how the colorway is wound (we show two balls on the second photo on this page -- they are both the same colorway just wound from different ends).  

Beads? 

No, Nim does not specify beads in this design but as we've discussed (she and I), lace and beads go together beautifully.  

If you wish to have an 25g container of size 6/0 beads (that will give you roughly 300 beads), that option is there via the drop-down menu above.  You will have to decide for yourself where you wish to add the beads. 

(If you need any data on how to add beads to your work, let me know and I'll send you some links.)

Pattern

The cost of the pattern has not been factored into this kit. 

If you wish to get it via Nim's Ravelry page here, then set the drop-down menu to "No Pattern Needed". 

If you wish us to print it for you and mail it with your kit, then set the drop-down menu to "Printed Copy". 

Alternatively you can get it via a pdf that will be saved here on EarthFaire's website in your account setting.