[ chapter one : Rebus launches thursday april 22nd 10:00 bst]
I'm going to have so much fun with this collection! I often use the book I'm currently reading as inspiration for a one-off shade or limited-run mini-collection but looking back through the archive I realised that I've (subconsciously?) avoided a whole genre of fiction that I devour regularly. In between the literary fiction women's prize and Booker-nominated reads I 'palette cleanse' with good old fashioned crime fiction. From the classic police procedural to psychological thrillers, I love curling up with a twisty-turny murder mystery and I've read hundreds over the years!
There are so many recurring characters and long-running series that are so much a part of my love of reading and storytelling, that it's frankly been criminal to ignore them, so I'm setting out to solve that! I'm going to be focussing on a different 'crime solver' each month and creating a single shade inspired by them. Whether the inspiration is rooted in their location, back story, or a character trait they're famous for, there's always a richly developed world just waiting to provide palettes for gorgeous skeins of yarn!
First up is the detective who got me hooked on the genre. I don't think I was in right from the very start but at some point in my early twenties I picked up a copy of Knots & Crosses, Ian Rankin's very first John Rebus novel, and I was hooked. I'd probably been a bit snobby about crime thrillers up to that point (although I did love the Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, and Emil the Detective as a child!) but Rebus got me hooked and I've had a constant stream of crime fiction in my 'to be read' pile ever since!
So, Rebus. Where to start! He's worked his way up from basic entry level detective to retirement over the course of twenty five (ish?) novels and fans fear the latest instalment 'Midnight and Blue' might be the last (although a quick Google suggests otherwise!) He's been good cop, bad cop and everything in between, at the behest of gangsters (there's enough inspiration to create a 'Ger Cafferty' shade for sure!) and corrupt cops, and all against the back drop of his beloved Edinburgh. So, it's the city that is providing the vibe for the palette I'm working with; from the sandstone villas and tenements, through rain drenched cobbles, to the facade of the Oxford Bar at night, this shade blends minty green, turquoise, hints of aubergine and plum, with sandy beige and woody-oak tones. It's subtle but with lots going on and the swatch I knit (with a mini-skein of pightle | fingering/4ply) has me dreaming of a simple lightweight pullover, or a small bias-knit shawl.
Although the yarn is all dyed to the same recipe, there are natural differences across the three yarn options. The full size pightle | fingering/4ply skeins have the most tonal variation and the richest hues, the mini-skeins are slightly softer - and as is often the way with mini-skeins, the colour placement is slightly less abstract so there's more of a chance of pooling or flashing happening, especially over a square or small circumference. The bray | lace is divine, ranging from soft hazy aqua to deep forest green with hints of plum and sandy gold.
Finally, this and all the other shades that I'll be adding to the collection month by month, will of course be available ready to ship initially but will continue to be restocked and/or available dyed to order, so you can collect them at your leisure, you don't need to worry about them selling out and never coming back and if you get a sudden urge to start a king size Swatching the Detectives blanket you can add a square or stripe, one mini-skein at a time, for as long as you desire. This collection is, I think, going to run and run!