So, tell me – when you think of Oberon, what images do you get in your head?
When I decided to include Oberon in my collection of fairy inspired patterns I really had to think about this. The thing is, Oberon is… not nice. I mean, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is all very funny but it is also incredibly unkind. Oberon is manipulative. He is selfish. He is absolutely unconcerned with the happiness or wellbeing of Titania – or of almost everyone else in the play. You could argue he does a good deed in instructing Puck to help out the lovelorn Helena, but… I think his motives are more about power than about being at all helpful. And then there’s the fact that it didn’t really go according to plan.
So, while I wouldn’t put him in the “evil fairy” box (I have one, keep an eye out for more on her soon!), the fact that he is a fairy and a king doesn’t mean that the overall feeling is one of sparkles and jubilation!
So, what does that mean for a knitting pattern? Well, we can cross lace and soft colours off the list for a start. Oberon needed a foresty deep colour, and I’ll talk about that more when I talk about the yarn collaboration with Tami from Eternity Ranch Knits. He needed a manipulative stitch pattern. He needed cables.
So, I knew we needed a cable pattern. And I wanted something that felt regal. This is how I found my way to the cable pattern I used. Some of the imagery of Oberon shows him with stag horns, and I felt that was very appropriate, and I chose a cable pattern to suit that.
I deliberately kept the rest of the sock simple. Even with a cable motif, I want my sock design not to be too intimidating or too involved. You should still be able to knit it while waiting to pick up your kid from school!
I have more to tell you about the pattern, so keep an eye out the rest of the week!
In the meantime, the pattern is now available for pre-order. It is 20% off using the code “FairyKing” on my Payhip and Ravelry shops. The pattern formally comes out on the 15th of November 2021, and if you have pre-ordered then you will receive it automatically.
