The Peacock Cowl & Peacock Mittens are inspired by the gorgeous peacock fountains that abound in the designs of the California Revival.

Both are initially worked in intarsia, using only three colors: the base color, the base peacock color, and the base flower color. After the base piece is finished, block it, then work the duplicate stitch embroidery.

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and take your time! Start with the flowers; they’re easier, and if this is your first time duplicate stitching, you’ll get plenty of practice before starting the peacock. With the peacock, though you should be precise with the eye, beak, neck and legs duplicate stitching, you can use the chart as a guideline for the tail and body highlights and the feather embroidery.

I wanted to highlight the different Shetland yarns, and chose to make two different colorways. The teal and fuchsia colorway of the cowl evokes the bright colors of many of the fountains I’ve seen; the blue colorway of the mitts is more subtle.

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