Cornish Beachcomber Fingerless Gloves

A small ball of handspun wool formed the basis of these gloves. I wasn't sure if I would have enough of this particular handspun mix to knit a complete pair of gloves, so after a lot of fiddling about in my stash of yarns I decided to use some commercial slate grey alpaca - which was left over from a previous project - as a frame.

I knitted these gloves in-the-round: it is always a thrill and a revelation to see the pattern and texture unfold as the rows go by, and I found that, whilst knitting, images of Victorian women searching for fossils and shells on windswept beaches with high cliffs filled my head.

I think the way the wool changes through greys to black, and onwards through to shades of blue brought to mind layers of rock in the cliff face.  Or perhaps I just had this particular picture in my head?

Pegwell Bay by William Dyce

About a year ago I read the book Remarkable Creatures by Tracey Chevalier so maybe I had thoughts of that as well?  (Watch a clip about the book here)

It also happened that last weekend we were visiting my Dad and, whilst there, I came across a book in his collection by the Cornish-based artist Kurt Jackson -

I was completely taken with his paintings, particularly the seascapes which formed the theme in this book.  I had taken the gloves along to finish, and it just seemed that the colours and texture of the wool I was using reflected his work - hence the name Cornish Beachcomber.