Encouraging News

Three things. First, I wasn't ready yet to give up on all lace (just the Triangles shawl) - it's become kind of an addiction already. So yesterday I went online and did some searching for 'beginner' lace shawl patterns. The Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl turned up in someone's list, and it's a free pattern, so I printed it out, and started it last night. (That link is just to her blog; if you want to check out this shawl, look on the right-hand side and find where it says "Free Patterns" and there's a link to it there; or scroll down farther and use the search box, and turn up the original post when the shawl was finished).

Well, I'm cautiously optimistic. This is going wildly better than Triangles. Probably the biggest difference to me is that this time I can actually read the knitting - I can actually see and understand what's going on. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't already made mistakes - I have. The major difference is, every time I have, I have been able to clearly see what I did, un-knit back and fix them, and go on with no problems. A couple times I've even caught mistakes before they went too far, by actually being able to notice that the stitch I'm about to make doesn't line up with the stitch in the row below that it should be lining up with. I've never been able to "see" that type of thing before. It's like night and day different from Triangles.

I'm not implying Snowdrop is a "simple" shawl that doesn't look like much. It's beautiful and intricate. It just seems to be well-designed enough that it can be beautiful without being overly complicated. Maybe to experieced lace-knitters it's simple, I don't know - but since I am by no means experienced at lace (unless you count experienced at screwing it up), this is perfect for me.

I suppose all lace uses the same basic stitches, but to say that it's all the same level of difficulty would obviously be crazy. So I suppose it all comes down to how complex the arrangement of those few stitches. Triangles didn't look that hard on the chart, but apparently it was, for me anyway.

I say cautiously optimistic, because I realize that there's a long ways to go yet. As with other such patterns, Snowdrop begins with one pattern panel in the center, then after a certain point you add another pattern panel to each side, then another, and so on, adding pattern panels to the side as the shawl gets wider. I'm only to the point where I've added one pattern panel to each side (and this part is still charted; later, of course, the width won't fit on the chart and you just have to work with a 'repeat this section' instruction, on your own). I recognize that I could start running into problems when I get into the multiple pattern panel additions that aren't charted, and I just have to keep track of them myself. But ... I'm still optimistic.

The second piece of good news is that I looked through "Handy Book of Sweater Patterns" last night, and there is a pattern for a raglan sweater. Celtic Icon was designed as a raglan, so it shouldn't be too difficult for me to replicate the sweater using my own gauge instead of having to follow the designer's pattern exactly. The published pattern was just a simple raglan with a zip front, the only thing making it stand out being the cable design up the back, up each front panel, and on each sleeve. I ought to be able to incorporate that into a 'generic' raglan pattern in my own gauge and size.

The only thing that will take some serious thought on my part is that Celtic Icon has a hood, and the generic raglan in the book does not. I think that with some effort and comparison between the two patterns, I can figure out how to add the hood anyway.

But that's down the road. For now, the third piece of good news - my cotton blend yarns should be arriving soon, and I'll start swatching for my hopefully simpler project - a cotton 3/4 sleeve summer cardigan.

I feel better. As anyone who is passionate about knitting knows, it kind of goes beyond "just a hobby." You get very attached to your projects, and when two of them at the same time are turning into disasters, it's frustrating. Coming up with some new things that I seem to have a reasonably tolerable chance of having actually work out is very encouraging. (In that cautiously optimistic kinda way).