Leaf Light is an airy, spring-like excursion into the tropical undergrowth. The colors ripple in light and shadow like sunlight filtering through a leafy canopy.

Three rectangles form the shape – two front panels and one back. A long front band finishes the front openings as well as forms the collar from which the back is picked up and knit.

STITCH GRAPHICS: Creating leaf veins with the ripple stitch
to evoke the dappled light of sunshine on leaves, the ripple stitch, a shorter variation of feather and fan, turned out to be the perfect evocation. When worked on smaller needles (size 7US/4.5 mm) and alternating colors every 2nd row, a rich, vein-like effect forms, especially with light yarns worked beside darker tones. This means alternating a minimum of two yarns every two rows, not nearly as labor-intensive as it sounds since the unused yarns are left hanging at one end of your work.

Variegated, hand-paints and hand-dyed really sing here. Consider, for instance, using a deep variegated blue-green for the leaf veins and a yellow for the leaf body. With the yellow, knit one row before purling on the reverse and then beginning the ripple pattern on the right side with the same yarn.

The knitting is easy and slips into a flow. Don’t let changing colors/yarns put you off: the used yarn hangs by the side of the work, ready to be called into action when you need it.

LEAF LIGHTS IS PART OF A THREE-DESIGN GUIDE INCLUDING ONE WRAP, A SCARF AND THE KIMONO -- 30 pages in all. To see FROND, click here: FROND WRAP

MORE PHOTOS ON MY BLOG: LEAF LIGHTS/FROND