In today's CrochetMe More enewsletter, I wrote about how a neckwarmer became the fabulous cover ruana.
Another garment in the Interweave Crochet Winter 2009 issue that underwent some reconstruction is the lovely Katrina Shawl by Lisa Pflug.
Here is her submission:
The changes we made seem subtle, but they called for quite a bit of engineering. The paper at the bottom of the photo above shows some of the working drafts done after the submission was accepted.
Lisa writes: "My submitted design was a rectangular shawl made from a single motif, and each motif was stitched with two colors chosen randomly from a set of three. The editor suggested a trapezoidal shape for the shawl with a diagonal stripe pattern for the colors. She also suggested a different set of colors. After some swatching with combinations of the new colors, I emailed the editor with pictures of the swatches and suggested that a substitution for one of the colors might create a more pleasant blend. The editor agreed and sent more yarn. I modified the motif pattern so that the border motifs would create a scalloped edge rather than the straight edge on my submitted design.”
Shifting the motifs from horizontal to diagonal gives the shawl some swerve—and also called for another, less-straightforward method of construction. We devised a chart to make it easier for you to follow the pattern. The added motifs on the edge call for some more engineering, but they give an elegant finish.
As W.B. Yeats wrote, “We must labor to be beautiful.” We try to do all the sweaty work, so you can just crochet your way to loveliness.
Happy crocheting,
Marcy