You’ve probably already read about how the idea of this cowl came about, but this is how the actual design of this fun little pattern came to be.
The overriding theme of Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather is the power and importance of belief. The book may be an amusing tale of how The Hogfather disappears and Death stepping in to ensure normality (whatever that is!), and how his granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit with help of various worldly and other worldly companions, tries to work out what's going on. It also weaves an intricate web of how legends, myths and stories become an intrinsic part of our everyday lives as a way of explaining the world with live in. It also shows that without belief and hope, the world as we know it ceases to be.
Three small, but key elements always stick with me when I read the book (which I wholeheartedly recommend!) and homages to these are shown in the 'swatches' that make up the cowl’s construction: Ver' Persykological, The Tooth Fairy's Castle and Anthropomorphic Personification.
As for the actual design, I've always thought of Ankh Morpork having a very Dickensian feel. The Shades feel akin to the small streets and alleyways around the docklands of the River Thames, and the more salubrious areas have a Kensington feel. I've always imagined it being a city of wooden windows, which is why the scenes are framed. And no Hogswatch card would be complete without a snowy scene with flashes of the Hogfather's sleigh.
Although this DK stranded colourwork pattern is designed to be worked as three swatches and joined (hence Hogs Swatch!), I've also produced an 'in the round' version.
I mentioned that there are three sections to the design and here is a little bit about them.
The Hogs swatch cowl pattern
Ver’ Persykological is first uttered by a well to do attendee at the Gaiter's evening soirée early on in Hogfather. Susan, Death's granddaughter, is caught demonstrating the power of the poker over the monster in the basement. The adults believed Susan was rattling the poker around in the basement and even bending it to provide comfort to the children of the household that the imaginary monster had been dealt with. Except the children know that monsters exist because they believe in them. And they know that Susan, their governess, can see them too. So whilst the adults have lost the ability to believe in such things and dismiss this as being persykological, the children know they're there and they know the poker, and Susan will sort the situation out.
In this section you will see the poker buried in the snow. You can leave this little homage out if you wish or leave it in.
The Tooth Fairy's Castle featuring the central pile of children's teeth motif (but you can just think of it as snow), harbours another important, if not slightly sinister concept in the book about the control of belief. In order to ensure the demise of the Hogfather, the Auditors (the Universe's bean counters) engage the Assassins Guild (with a capital A) to ensure that The Hogfather ceases to be. Why? Because he only exists through belief and that's not very tidy! A young, ever so slightly deranged Assassin called Teatime devises a plan to 'inhume' this beloved character by having a wizard cast a spell over the teeth collected by the Tooth Fairies (it's a franchise!). Why? Because children have the strongest belief and gaining power over something of theirs controls what they believe or don't believe in. If they don't believe in The Hogfather, The Hogfather ceases to exist. A scary idea really!
Anthropomorphic Personification is the concept of endowing human characteristics to explain things that happen in the everyday world. Without the Hogfather the sun won't come up, the Tooth Fairy collects the teeth.
Then there are the recent additions of the Verruca Gnome, the O God of Hangovers and other strange creatures to help explain those things that we can't always explain ourselves. Why are their new additions? Well, Hex, the Unseen University's thinking machine, worked it out. With belief in the Hogfather dwindling, there was room for potential personifications to come into being. And in the words of Death himself, “Humans need fantasy to be human,” and with enough belief anything can happen. Sewing In Of The Ends Fairy, anyone?
But does Hex believe in the Hogfather? + Yes +
So now that you know a little more about this pattern why not grab your copy of it today (the pattern is available on both Ravelry and Payhip) so that you can get ready for the KAL that starts on New Years Day! Or just cast it on at your leisure. Either way I can’t wait to see your versions.