First, I finished the green monster Frozen Leaves on New Years’ Day. I didn’t have to eliminate or fudge any rows, and it wasn’t an epic game of yarn chicken since the remaining yarn can still be measured in yards, not inches. But, it was close with less than a gram of yarn to go.
I had the pattern up on my iPad a lot more the last week or so as I worked the edging, and TheEnabler saw the pictures of the finished Frozen Leaves by the designer.
TheEnabler: “What pattern is that? It’s really pretty.”
Me: staring pointedly at the mass of green squiggles in my lap ”That’s what I’ve been making.”
TheEnabler: “Oh, maybe it really will look better after blocking.”
Here’s hoping…
Unfortunately, I have not be able to block it yet. We’re still fighting off the last bits of whatever plague we got, so taking over the bed for an entire day to block it is still out of the question.
Now I’m working on something completely different. Instead of a lace shawl in delicate alpaca and silk, I’ve turned my attention to the cozy leg warmers I’ve been planning on.
I spent a bit of time sorting through patterns on Ravelry before realizing that I already knew what I wanted and how to do it. I was just vaguely hoping somebody else had already charted the cables and design I wanted for me.
Even if somebody had made exactly the pattern I wanted, I was just going to have to recalculate the entire thing anyway because:
1 – It’s unlikely I would get gauge
2 – Even if I did, I always have to change the rates of increases and decreases to fit my limbs. I’m short and I have skinny ankles/wrists compared to my calves/biceps.
In short, I might as well write my own pattern. It would in fact be faster for me to just do it than spend hours sorting through hundred of Ravelry patterns.
Voila, my leg warmers in progress (this is the back of the calf):
I think I’m going to call it “Midwinter Meander” because the color of the yarn reminds me of the character of the light during the day right now, with constant hints at sunshine and color, but always just the soft side of vibrant, and the cables never go very far from where they start – which is about as far from somewhere warm and cozy we want to travel right now.
What are you starting with in the New Year?