Tropical climates and knitwear don't go together, right? Fortunately I've never found this to actually be the case.
I learned to knit some years ago when we were living in Kuala Lumpur. It's just 350 km north of the equator and yet I always had a sweater in my purse to combat the arctic chill from ever-present air conditioning. Now I'm spending time in the tropics again and have found another area where the climate meshes with knitting: inspiration abounds. At the moment there are some spectacular doors in Zanzibar calling my name.
Stone Town is the historic center of Zanzibar. Winding narrow alleys blend together Swahili, Arab, Indian, and European design but the most notable feature of the town are the doors. Ornately carved doors tell of the time when the island was one of the most important ports in the Indian Ocean. Wealthy traders commissioned works of art to serve as the main door to their home. Not to be outdone the neighbors would do the same, except bigger and better. The town has seen better days and a lot of the buildings are in need of restoration, but the doors remain. Doors that artisans spent countless hours carving to perfection.
It's inspired a collection. I have several patterns in the pipeline inspired by the craftsmanship of Zanzibarian wood workers. Stay tuned for more.
