The back was finished last week but since it’s just a square  stockinette piece  I decided not to post a picture.

I’ve been quite busy over the past week with other matters (gabbing too much on KR) but finally found a bit of time during the past few days to  start on the front. The photo shows two repeats of the lace pattern, Two-Sided Frost Flowers.

Before I attempted to graph the lace pattern, I did a bit of research on the Frost Flowers stitch pattern to see if I could figure out if anyone else has done it.  I found several references to a Frost Flowers stitch, including one from  “A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” by Barbara G. Walker (shown on the cover of the paperback edition). I
couldn’t find any reference to this two-sided version so, Norah Gaughan
(the designer of this sweater) probably adapted it from the original. I decided to forge ahead without trying to graph it since, unlike most lace patterns, each side of this one is worked in pattern.

The construction of this sweater is very unique. As the instructions note, “The front begins at the right center top of the hood, then is worked down the right side of the front to lower ribbed edge, is turned at hem and worked up the center top of hood on the opposite side of the front.” So the part you see in the photo is the right side of the hood as it will appear on my head.

So far I’ve learned one nifty trick from this pattern. In order to give the exposed lace edge  a finished look, the first two stitches of the lace pattern are slipped. This means that the edge will not have to be finished by knitting in a band or adding a crochet edge.  I love patterns that have little details like this that help save time.

By the way, I forgot to mention the yarn I’m using –  it’s Bomull by Marks and Kittens.  I call it the long lost identical twin of the Bergereine yarn that I used for Gilet Lace.