Training Wheels

I recently spent a few days going through all of my lace books and scouring Ravelry for something....ANYTHING...that peaked my knitting interest.

 

But I got nothing...nothing for hours and hours of browsing.

 

Which meant, of course, that it was time to look to myself....time to start designing on my own.

 This is, however, a very scary thing for little old, perfectionist me.

 

So.

This morning I sat down with needles and some reliable Zephyr laceweight to cast on Renee Leverington's Mandala pattern.  I had bought it several years ago, and back in 2010 actually had not one but TWO failed attempts to produce my own Mandala.  (It was a gauge issue....I tend to start my circles too small.) 

 

Uh...you might be thinking...how is doing someone else's pattern a first step to designing your own?

 

Well, the really wonderful thing about Mandala is that it is a choose your own adventure pattern - with four different options for each of the lace sections.

 

Thus....training wheels!



 

A small way to start making my own decisions about my lace....exploring the possibilities of where my imagination will take me.

 

Soon....very soon....I hope to share with you what happens when the training wheels come off....