Staircases

I love collecting all kinds of inspirational images to spark new knit design ideas and one of my favourite subjects is the staircase! This month Knitting magazine have published my Staircase Shawl in Issue 201. The inspiration for this design comes from the wonderful National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Staircase Shawl by Emma Vining
Image from Knitting, GMC Publications

The particular inspirational staircase for my shawl is located in the upper levels of the building. I love everything about these stairs, from the curve of the steps, to the smooth and textured triangular features beside them, and also the monochrome colour way shown in my photo. The National Museum of Scotland is full of fantastic inspiration and there are amazing views of Edinburgh Castle from the top levels too!

Staircase in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Photo by Emma Vining

View from the top of the National Museum of Scotland
Photo by Emma Vining

Stunning architectural features inside the NMS
Photo by Emma Vining

My Staircase Shawl knitting pattern combines textured triangles, eyelets and short row shaping to make the series of steps. The short rows create a shawl with a gentle curve, just like the stairs in the museum. Using gradient shades of yarn sets off the stitch pattern perfectly and the John Arbon Knit by Numbers yarn range has so many different colour ways to choose from! These beautiful greys were the perfect match for my design ideas, but the shawl would look amazing in any of the colour gradients. To knit the shawl, you will need three 25g mini-skeins and one 100g full skein of 4ply KBN.

Staircase Shawl detail

Photo by Emma Vining