Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color by Anna Dalvi,  Cooperative Press, 2012, 89pp.

I’ve always loved Anna’s first book — and I love this one even more, if that’s possible!

Anna presents us with 12 different patterns, featuring gorgeous yarn from indie and small dyers such as Cephalopod, indigodragonfly, Rocky Mountain Dyework, Verdant Gryphon, and more.

Each shawl was inspired by some aspect of ancient Egypt:   the gods (Thoth, Set (the cover shawl), etc), myths, places, and more.  The motifs range from fairly literal (the waxing and waning moons in Thoth) to more abstract (Girl with the Rose Red Slippers).  The colors themselves are symbolic and pertain directly to the theme of each pattern.

I love all the attention to detail and thought that Anna put into this collection!  This is a book you can read and enjoy, on top of the patterns.

Each pattern has clear charts.  Most have pictures of the shawl laid flat to show its shape. Shapes include  rectangular, triangular, crescent to circular, with various permutations in between.

My favorites include Nefer, a lovely crescent shaped shawl with nupps, offered in two sizes:

and Girl with the Rose Slippers, a half octagon with different sections, each symbolizing part of the tale:

…and Nefertari, a gorgeous swooping triangular shawl.  Anna is tall and lithesome — she looks stunning in these larger shawls!  I got to see her in it at this past TNNA.  Just gorgeous!

Would you like to win your own PDF copy of  Ancient Egypt in Lace & Color?  Leave a comment on this post with your favorite design (and why!) by midnight, PST October 3rd.

Photos © Caro Sheridan