The Veil of Isis - Part I

Passing another knitting milestone, I recently finished my first major lace weight project.  People that know me can vouch that I have a hard time resisting a screaming deal.  That little quirk, coupled with my insatiable greed for yarn, led to a purchase of yet more yarn that I had no specific project in mind for.  Oh, and it wasn’t just a little bit of yarn.  This goliath ball of “Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread” (Jumbo I think they called it), advertises that it is over 1.5 miles long.  Now that, ladies and gents, is yarn gluttony.

After sitting in the corner for untold months it’s time had finally come.  For some reason my brain and fingers were itching to create something with it; but what?  After perusing finished projects using this yarn on Ravelry, I was struck by all the crocheted tablecloths.  Nostalgia had kicked in hardcore.  Growing up my mother had a few very special white lace tablecloths.  I have a hard time thinking about them and not having my mind immediately jump to the memories of pancakes and weekend mornings.  At that point it was just a matter of finding the right pattern.  Looking for a square pattern, and one that was knitted and not crocheted, oh yeah, and free was a bit of a tall order.  Yet lovely Ravelry came through again with their advanced search functions… have I mentioned recently how much I love Ravelry?  What a great marriage of programming and knitting/crocheting it is?  Anyway, what came up was the gorgeous pattern “Veil of Isis” by Andrea Jurgrau of Bad Cat Designs (gotta love the name).

Worked from the center outward it seemed to be a perfect combination of easy but not boring.  Well, easy after you get the idea of how the charts proceed (tip:  chart on page six was irreplaceable for understanding it).  Still, juggling my eensy weensy size 2 knitting needles and the thread wasn’t the easiest start.  I must say that the phrase “ham fisted” occurred to me at alarming frequency during the beginning rounds.  Once the project became large enough to put on circular needles and I had my “Eureka” moment about the pattern, it was a joy to work.  The audiobooks helped me eat through the rows and rows of delicate lace.

Confession:   I started out with the intention of giving the finished product to Kevin’s mother, Kathy.  She’s so colorful, welcoming, encouraging, feisty and sassy.  She also appreciates handcrafted items more than anyone else I know, which makes her a target for my endeavors in yarn.  When I’ve visited her, she’s served me a number of luscious homemade meals at this square table full of character and warmth.

While I recalled that it was square, I wasn’t sure exactly how large it was.  No worries, I was working it from the center outward.  In the meantime I asked Kevin to be my spy.  His mission was to measure the table and take a few pictures without her knowing.    Around the time the Veil of Isis was large enough to transition from double pointed needles to the circular, I received the pictures.  At that point I realized that I had overlooked not just one, but two problems.  You think I would have been smart enough to see the foreshadowing the blog name gave me.

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