A Lothlorian Symphony

To my eye, Jennifer Wood’s Lothlorian Shawl is without equal. It’s lace; it’s cables . . .

For anyone who has not yet ventured over to the pattern page on Ravelry (or downloaded the pattern), it’s a segmented design. In other words, there are numerous small charts representing each portion of the pattern: the border, the left or right leaf, the flowers, etc. As you work across the shawl/scarf and create a larger and larger knitted object, you add in elements and separate the parts via stitch markers. There is never one “master” chart. Instead, you are reading between charts and bringing them together with each stitch, and rarely working more than a few stockinette stitches in a row. I told my husband that it feels like reading music: like conducting a symphony with many parts and players.

Wood has designed a pattern that is complex, but easy to execute–follow the patterned charts and you’re off! Indeed, this is my second lace project and even though there is lace on each side (RS and WS), it’s completely do-able. Not simple, but sensible.  And, when you have a delightful stitch marker (from Megan Morrell of Old Crow Art Yarns) leading the way to the right side of your work . . . well, then you always know which bars come next.