A Hornby Tartan for Opal and Becket

Jules giving the blanket a test run

Our friends Jules and Ian have been blessed with twin children after a very long period of time waiting for the little guys to decide to show up. Everyone who knows Jules and Ian understands how much their children were wanted and how much they are now loved.  I wanted our gift to them to have special significance; I literally wanted to wrap them up in deep appreciation.

After a little Internet research I came upon Stone Arabie, the blanket weaving practice of one John Fitzpatrick. John is a member of the Scottish Tartan Authority and specializes in tartan weaving. I was so happy to find an artisanal weaver and happier still that he would be accessible on line for consultation and ideas exchange. To my utter amazement, it turned out he lives just minutes away from a good friend of ours in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island. After initial contact, I drove down to meet with John to discuss the plan to weave two crib blankets.

After a little investigating into tartans, I discovered that people design tartans for many reasons and they are not restricted to ancient Scottish clans. What about a Hornby tartan? John was game to help work out a tartan design for us using my colour recommendations as a base. Colours in a tartan always bear significance, so I was careful to choose colours that anyone who knows Hornby would recognize and appreciate. Because John dyes his own yarns, he was able to fine tune the shades and hues of each colour with great care. A number of times he emailed me saying he was displeased with a dye batch and was starting over. This is artistry at its finest. He even set up a special page on his website so he could make suggestions in colour!

Dad with Becket in the background, mom marveling at John's work  

The blankets arrived on Friday and surpassed my expectations.  Each blanket was washed and pressed after completion; the seams were meticulously sewn at the finished edge. They arrived carefully packed in tissue with finishing touches of a personalized card from John explaining their fabrication and their care.

Here's the colour pallet of this Hornby Tartan:

Joyous new salal green and stately old growth fir
Calm steely waters under high grey sky
Churning turquoise herring run
Frothing white capped waters in high winds and winter
Rich gold and bronze grasses in meadows at the height of summer heat
Deep blackberry purple in fruiting splendor
Brilliant fuchsia creativity running throughout

Thank you John for dedicating your creativity to such a worthy pursuit - elegant, historical, personal, emotional weaving. Opal and Becket - sweet dreams and comfy beach walks wrapped in these treasures!!

satin bamboo yarn, a Hornby Tartan 

   

 http://www.stonearabie.com/default.html