Day 144 • Something Beautiful 2022: Elegant design

Something Beautiful is the resurrection of a 2014 initiative to find a visual feast for each day of the year.

A package of a dark blue heathered alpaca yarn arrived day before yesterday. I’ve been waiting 6 weeks for this yarn (which is another story). And, even though it is summer, I am excited to begin knitting. The impetus came from a project I completed early last year.

For the significant birthday of a good friend, I decided to attempt a stole using a Japanese lace knit pattern. I’d found and purchased Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Patterns by Hitomi Shida and could not wait to learn and use it. I chose a fan-like design and it was hideously complicated (not something you can do while watching TV). Plus the stitch directions were different than most I’d encountered in American or English patterns. After Youtube tutorials and knitting and ripping out 16 rows over half a week, I figured out how it all worked. Once I knit a pattern sequence a few times, I usually have it memorized. The entire piece was 60″ and completing it was my knitting equivalent to scaling Dinali.

The beauty and intricacies of these Japanese designs are something to behold. And so, I begin a new pattern with beautiful new alpaca and another design from the book. Unlike last time, I have a beautiful reminder that I will be able to figure out the new stitches in the new pattern. A beautiful experience with a beautiful outcome.