I haven’t written about Mystery Stole 3 in a bit. That’s because I’ve gone into teacher mode, which can seriously compromise my ability to work complex patterns. When I get home from work after 6:00 or so, all I’m interested in is dishrags, dishrags, dishrags. Quick, bright, varied, easy-to-try-something-new-on dishrags. Or maybe a washcloth for a change of pace.
I have nonetheless been faithfully downloading the patterns for MS3 and trying to track a few of the overwhelming thousands of posts about it. The design is coming out asymmetrical, with one end pointed and the other finishing in a graceful curve. To achieve this, the pattern switches from back-and-forth knitting to knitting on the diagonal, picking up stitches as one progresses.
To be frank—I’m intimidated. I have no trouble picking up stitches to add a button band or to “piece” a knit along one edge for a patchwork effect (my results are sometimes lovely, sometimes not so lovely, but I’m not intimidated). But the knitting one piece onto another as I go, picking up one stitch per row, that frightens me for some reason.
Based on the pictures I’ve seen by folks who are further along in the pattern than I am (here‘s an example at Tangled String) I’m thinking about opting to knit the first several clues twice and then grafting the identical halves. The wing design is gorgeous, but I really do like the lace pattern of the pointed end better and… no one-stitch-at-a-time pick-up.
So here’s my question. If I decide to go for the double-pointed option (which I really do find prettier, not just less intimidating) am I copping out; is this one of those projects that has something important to teach me and upon which I should refuse to compromise or is it OK to follow my own tastes and inclinations, even if this means skipping part of the challenge? (That’s a long sentence I know, but I was trying to really keep it one question.) I would love to hear from other folks, those who are further along on this pattern than I am and also those who just find themselves with an opinion on this topic, whether or not they’re part of the MS3 undertaking.