Stevie Nicks is Looking for an Awesome New Shawl

Stevie Nicks is well known for her bohemian style, flowing clothes and shawls that accentuate her movement on stage, and now she’s looking for a new, handcrafted shawl to use in a photography shoot.

The singer has taken to Talenthouse, a sort of job board for artists, to put out her call for submissions. Interested designers can submit a sketch or a finished shawl as well as a description of why this is the perfect shawl for her.

The winner, who will be chosen by Nicks, will receive $2,000 to help them produce their final shawl, which Nicks will wear in photographs that will be posted on her website and on social media. The shawl will then be returned to the designer.

In her brief for the contest, which was also shared on Rolling Stone, Nicks said she started wearing shawls on stage in the late 1960s.

In 1968, a very handsome boy brought me a poncho from South America. I knew it was magic and that someday I would copy it in chiffon or leather or beaded material. I realized that wearing a poncho or a long shawl gave me something to work with up on the stage. Big movements, big twirls, you need to be seen from far away. So I made that a big part of my stage clothes. It became totally intertwined in my fashion style.

The competition is open through Sept. 22. Participants will also be eligible for a $500 prize based on the community’s choice of favorite shawl. Voting for that honor will take place between Sept. 22 and 29, and the winners will be announced Oct. 14.

[Photo via Talenthouse.]

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Looking for more amazing shawl patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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