Golden Orchids is a lovely (and free) pattern on Ravelry. I used Cloudborn Fibers Merino Superwash Sock Twist in Autumn Heather and I am delighted by the color. This is a piece that is going to a silent auction and I’m happy to hand it off and get back to the (cough) 6 other unfinished projects I have been jumping around on.

It is fairly easy to follow, though could use a slight bit of polish. While it’s fairly easy to assume that Transition Chart 3 follows Transition Chart 2, the pattern doesn’t mention that in the written paragraph that describes the order of the charts. I also had an issue with the body chart and not understanding that I should repeat the body chart. That was definitely user error on my part as 568 other Ravelry users seemed to get this, but I think the pattern could have been helped by simply stating that the body pattern should be repeated one time with the number of stitches accumulated in parentheses after it. Perhaps this is nitpicky on my part, but I say it in case future knitters come across the same issue so they don’t have to repeat my mistakes.

I had trouble blocking out all the tiny little points that make this shawl delightful. If I had more time to be fussy about it I might try again, but even with softer edges I think it’s lovely. It’s also supposed to have beads, but I didn’t even really consider that. I’m not into beads and needed to get this out ASAP and not worry about one more technique to learn. I’ve never put beads into knits. Am I truly missing out on some delightfulness? Share your thoughts about beading or life or whatever.

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