Beekeeper Cushion 3

The third cushion using the beekeeper pattern is a different shape - not quite as long but much deeper. I wasn’t going to get an easy fit using the tension of the previous two cushions, so I moved up a needle size. It soon became evident this would work.

For this one I worked from the notion of St Margaret as the Pearl of Scotland a name by which she was widely known in her time. 

She brought brightness and glamour into the life of the community. As well as colour and pattern, she introduced jewels into both personal and communal life. Her husband, Malcolm III, himself illiterate, had the cover of her Bible encased in jewels. She carried it with her and read to him from it. She also carried a black palm-sized jewel-encrusted reliquary said to hold a fragment of the true cross. No detail about the jewels is recorded,

I was still trying to use up wool I had left from other projects, and I had assembled a 200 gram ball of pink, a similar ball of green and a couple of smaller balls of red. I thought these might represent pink diamonds, emeralds and rubies. A daughter suggested adding some surface embroidery with metallic to provide some sparkle. I tried, but wasn’t happy with the result so tried adding a metallic thread to the yarn as I knitted.  It was easy enough to do, but the metallic sank into the wool, giving only occasional glints. It took me a while to work out it was better to work a metallic diamond on one side of the knitted pod, rather than to use it all the way around.

I dug out the metallics I had and paid a visit to Create in Stitch to supplement my supply. As well as reels, I tried a couple in the Light Effects range, including the white E941 Glow in the Dark. I tried using the last to embroider a thistle on the central white “pearl”. You can’t tell it's a thistle, but, in pitch dark, it does in fact glow. I couldn’t photograph it. The cushion is reversible, so if parishioners get spooked by a tiny glow in the dark it can be turned over!  .

The metallic bling knitted into the wool is very subtle - perhaps too subtle to have any effect. That also may be more appropriate - a few glints rather than announcing itself to the world. I was, after all, after the story rather than the splendour.

I had intended to surround the central 'pearl' with rounds of a single colour  but when I reached this point was unconvinced, 

so began experimenting as I went, ending by mixing the red and green. Finally I let the pink dominate. I admit, using up the whole ball of pink was an incentive!

I squared off the sides with half hexies, intending to leave it thus but decided to complete the corners both for neatness and to hold it in place in the deep seat.

In is now in place in the church and used by those serving during services. I haven’t checked out the glow-in-the-dark effect!

I have one more to make which will not be required until Christmas Eve. I’m taking a short knitting break, but will be on to it by the end of the month. 

I have a couple of green wools for this one. I’m thinking emeralds and citrines. As far as I can tell, St Margaret had no association with, or premonition of, the green-uniformed Adelaide Cheerios Netball Team, but I’m not sure my granddaughters will see it that way!

Thanks to Veronica for the last photo.

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