Could you explain a little about how you chose the lace motifs you’re using? I’ve only knit lace from patterns, but would love guidelines on how to pick and combine my own.

Ah, that is the $64,000 question.

What motifs “go” together? I am of the opinion that this is something that is really subjective. I am very very very picky about patterns and what motifs and/or separate elements I think go together. Note that I said “I think.”

I used to knit a lot of Aran sweaters, but I was very choosy about the patterns I’d knit. Very often I’d see a sweater pattern I liked — except for one element that did not seem to “go” with the rest.  It would stick out like a sore thumb and would ruin the design for me. Sometimes I’d change that one motif or element to something more pleasing to my eye, sometimes I’d just reject the pattern as a whole and move on.

I see this a lot in lace and sock patterns — I’m very picky about what I knit lacewise and sockwise as well because I have the same experience as I do with Arans. And many times I know it’s just me, because I’ll see lots of people happily knitting and loving a design that to me looks like a hodge-podge of mis-matched “stuff.”

This leads me to wonder — am I just weird or does everyone have similar experiences? Does what looks like a harmonious flowing design to me look like a pile o’ crap to others?

A lot of the time I think it’s just me. There’s at least one design out there (I can think of one right now) that many many people have knit happily, some multiple times, that I just don’t “get.”

This does not really answer Erica’s question, does it? I guess the answer is — put stuff together and see if it looks right to you.

On the Road Again

I’m looking forward to this Friday and Saturday when I’ll be at Stitches With Style in Newark Delaware for book signing, fun, and classes. I’ve updated my travel page, by the way, removing events that have occurred and adding a couple of new ones. Almost all my events for the rest of 2009 are now scheduled and listed there (with one exception that has not been set in stone yet). As you can see, I’ve been invited back to Oklahoma in October!

Sock Bags and Sachets, Oh My!

Remember the beginning of last week when I showed a photo of a box bag and sachets that my friend Aimee made for me? This photo, to be exact:

Well, Aimee is now selling her little box bags and sachets on Etsy. Just sayin’.

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Then let us tell you a story . . .

Lucy Sez

That’s just silly!

In a spurt of energy, I wrote up the pattern for “A Finer Peace Socks” that I finished last week. You can find it, in pdf format, here. The pattern is also linked to from the Free Patterns page.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I’m working on both a stealth project and my new circular shawl.

The circular shawl is my own design. I’ve flung together a number of lace motifs and we’ll see what happens when it is off the needles and stretched out, because you can’t really tell much about it in its current state, can you?

I have 4 skeins of the yarn — a total of 1840 yards. I am pretty darn sure that I won’t need all of it for the shawl I’m planning, but I’d rather have too much than too little.

This yarn is really great, and this colorway has just enough variegation to be entertaining, but not enough to obscure my lace pattern.

Lucy Sez:

“I am embracing my innate fluffiness!”