Three years ago I started knitting the lace jacket from Vogue Knitting, Fall 2010. It started out fine. Working lace in the round is a pleasure because the knitting is always facing you. In no time I had the body of the jacket done and started up on the border.
That's when things got ugly. The border is a complicated bit of witchery, with patterning on every row and increases and decreases zig-zagging along to make a scalloped edge. Beautiful? Yes, of course. Fun? Heck no! Why? I just couldn't memorize it. I had to work every row stitch by stitch. I made plenty of mistakes and tinking mohair lace is a nerve wracking bit of fiddliness. My frustration with the project grew, until I stuck it in a closet, out of sight and out of mind.
Having some time on my hands lately, I decided to resurrect my skeleton. Even the weather colluded with me; this spring has been cool enough for a knitter to tolerate a pile of mohair in the lap. I finished up the border, and completed one sleeve before I couldn't take it anymore. I was seduced away from my frustration by a mysterious little number, the Leaf Evolution Mystery KAL.
This project went slow too, but only because there were six clues, delivered to us one each week. And I liked it. I enjoyed the way the KAL forced me to linger over this project. It was a pleasure to anticipate the next clue and to slowly watch the pattern evolve. The finished shawllette is as sweet as could be:
But that's okay. This pattern reminded me again of the pleasures of lace knitting.
That lace jacket, it's so old, it can wait a little longer. I've cast on another lace project, this one from BooKnits. Go take a look, at her designs. You too will fall in love with lace all over again.
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