I have a new design coming out shortly. It is possibly the prettiest thing I have ever designed and knitted; it is also the first design that has challenged my ideas about what a pattern should do. I have been designing and writing knitting patterns for a handful of years now. I like patterns that look deceptively complicated, yet can be explained on an A4 page. I prefer to combine written instructions with charts. While I am a chart knitter myself (and the majority of my designs start out as a chart doodle), I don't write patterns for myself. Knitting patterns should be clear, concise and inclusive. These are my pattern writing principles. My new design is lovely. I knitted most of it whilst travelling around the United Kingdom: on trains, in buses and on underground trains. I found it intuitive to knit and the lace straightforward to read. After a short while I found I could actually work the lace without looking at the charts - the lace flows in a way that subsequent rows suggest themselves once the lace is established. So, I was surprised when I began writing the pattern and I realised that the written instructions made the pattern seem exceptionally complicated.

The intuitive lace becomes daunting and obscure as soon as you write it down. The flow turns into a Chinese Box structure of repeats within repeats within repeats. I looked at the written instructions - even as I rewrote them to fit my own style sheet - and I knew I had to axe the written instructions. I am the designer of the pattern, I knitted the sample with great pleasure in just over two weeks, and the written instructions read like a horror story completely at odds with a lovely, relaxing knit.

For the first time since I began doing this professionally, I am not going to offer written instructions but just a fully charted pattern. It has been a tough call to make (I know many people like written instructions) but I think it's the right one.

So, having scared everybody with my tale of terrifying written instructions, I'll share a little preview of the thing itself. It has been a remarkably lovely knit - when I look at it I still get a "gosh, that's my work" glow in my stomach. Everything little thing about this design feels right to me - the way it was constructed, the structure of it, the design idea, the motifs, the yarn and how it feels when it's draped around my neck. 

Let me introduce you to Mahy. It's the next installment in the Authors & Artists series and I blooming well love it. We'll be doing a proper photo shoot soon - I cannot wait to share the story behind the shawl and show you just how absolutely gorgeous it is. Proper details soon.