Sibyllinity Scarf

Pattern available on Ravelry and Etsy.

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Now that's a four-dollar word, isn't it?

If you didn't know it by now, though, I'm a bit of a word nerd!

Sibylline means to have a secret or hidden meaning or relating to foretelling the future.

Have you ever heard of Hilma af Klint? She was a Swedish abstract artist - perhaps even the REAL first abstract artist! Her story is fascinating and inspiring. And she was the inspiration for this design.

I first learned about Hilma af Klint during an online event for creatives that I attended in late 2020. As both a designer and a painter, I found her story intriguing. I read a bit about her but then moved on.

Until February of 2022 when I got a submissions call from Pom Pom magazine. And guess what their inspiration was? Horizons and artists like Hilma af Klint. My jaw nearly hit the floor and I got SO excited!

From their submissions call:

Sometimes it takes something big to get us to look towards the unknown, but sometimes something as simple as a glance at the horizon reminds us that there is so much we haven’t yet seen. For this issue we are looking to great artists such as Etel Adnan and Hilma af Klint, who showed us their distinct ways of looking at our world, and possible worlds beyond the visible. Adnan’s rich and unexpected colour combinations speak of landscapes as she saw them, often showing where the ground meets the sky. And af Klint, who was all but unknown in her lifetime, painted the metaphysical meditations she felt she had been called to. They both looked at and beyond horizons, and showed us their ways of seeing. Horizons have long been something studied by artists for their colour as well as their philosophical implications, they provide a place to play with perspective of many kinds.

Beyond the Visible is the name of a documentary from 2019 about Hilma af Klint and if you're interested, you can find out more here: https://zeitgeistfilms.com/film/beyondthevisiblehilmaafklint It is also available to rent or buy on Amazon.

Here's the trailer if you want to take a peek!

And here are a few articles, too, if you'd like to read more about her:

https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-27-spring-2013/first-abstract-artist-and-its-not-kandinsky

https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/hilma-af-klint The video here is fascinating!

https://www.guggenheim.org/audio/track/group-i-primordial-chaos-1906-07-by-hilma-af-klint My favorite quote comes from this article:

"[L]ife is a pursuit of the bringing together of the opposite forces that were torn apart at the beginning of creation."

So. Hilma af Klint. Looking beyond the visible. Searching the horizon. Painting the future. Sibyllinity.

And now, with that extensive background! You have an insight into my description of this scarf.

Shall we get into it?

For this design, I wanted to highlight stitches that are meant to be viewed with the Wrong Side facing as a way to shift our viewpoint. Tiny popcorn like stitches made with trebles sandwiched between single crochets create delicious little bobbles of texture. The lines of crossed double crochets are often more striking on the back side and so I let them feature that way in a lacy pattern in a neutral color. Spike stitches along the horizon line in rich contrasting color draw your eye to the delineation between stitch patterns and a shift in color that rises and deepens like the sun moving in the sky.

At first glance this is a simple looking piece with block coloring, but it is rich with deeply meditative lines and patterns and textures that celebrate the beauty that awaits you if you simply take a moment longer to look beyond your first impressions.

The pattern itself includes detailed instructions for all special stitches, including foundation and optional chainless stitches, crossed dc pairs, treble bobbles or tiny popcorns, and spike stitches. There is also a color coded symbol chart.

STITCHES & TECHNIQUES:

• Single crochet

• Half double crochet

• Double crochet

• Treble crochet

• Foundation single crochet

• Treble bobble or tiny popcorn (defined in pattern)

• Crossed dc pair (defined in pattern)

• Sc in 3rd lp of hdc

• Spike stitches (defined in pattern)

• Chainless stitches optional

GAUGE:

3 sts = 4” (10 cm) before blocking; 26.5 sts = 4” (10 cm) after blocking.

Finished sample measured approximately 8” (20 cm) wide by 76” (193 cm) long after blocking.

SUGGESTED MATERIALS:

• Show Stopper by Leading Men Fiber Arts (100 g, 463 yds 423 m) fingering weight (1: super fine) yarn, 75% superwash merino and 75% nylon

- C1: 1 skein (100 g) Bare Necessities (cream)

- C2: 1 mini skein (20 g) Darkest Hour (black)

- C3: 1 set of 6 mini skeins (20 g each) Just Peachy (peach gradient)

• C/2 (2.75 mm) and B/1 (2.25 mm) crochet hooks

• stitch marker(s)

• scissors

• darning needle

And so there she is!

And HERE are some pictures from a few of my wonderful pattern testers, including Courtney, Christine, Bahar E., @i_am_his_handiwork, Keinaphels, and Emily Aragon. I really enjoyed seeing all the different color stories they created for this design!

Aren't they fabulous!? Be sure to check out the project gallery on Ravelry, too, for more pictures! I really love seeing all the different ways this design can be reimagined.

Sibyllinity is available now on Ravelry as well as in my Etsy shop.

And if you haven't already joined us, please pop on over to our Facebook Group so we can cheer you on and support you as you work on this or any of my other patterns! You can also tag me @crochetcetera or with #SybillinityScarf on social. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make!!

Happy crocheting!