Autumn 2012 Accessories: Day 3

Hello Everyone, and welcome to Day 3 of the Autumn 2012 Accessories collection introduction.

I am ready to introduce probably the prettiest item of the collection - the Le Bouquet Stole. I have been sitting on this lace pattern since the end of last year; I am so thrilled to be able to present it here.  As feminine as this is in stole form, it's also a very versatile piece simply worn around the neck. I just folded it over once during the photo shoot, but it would look equally great fastened with a shawl pin.

When wearing as a stole, its got hidden buttons so it will stay easily around the shoulders. I've designed it with three different circumferences - make the size closest to your yoke measurement, and then customize with button placement.

This stole can be made with a wide range of yarn weights. I've swatched with sport and dk weight, both of which looked great. One tester used light worsted weight! I actually hooked it with this yummy hand-dyed fingering weight silk:

This perle silk (2 ply) actually had a little "bite," which worked up quite nicely. Blocking was a light spritz before and after pinning. I do warn that you may be tempted to skip the blocking because the stitch is so texturally interesting, but I urge you not to since the blocked circumference is the key to a great fit.

I can easily see this in a darker colorway with a lighter colored ruffle or a tonal treatment - the possibilities are limited only by imagination and preference. I can't wait to see how this design gets interpreted!