So I wrote two crochet patterns last week.

I didn't set out to write two patterns, of course! I had an idea, a plan. And I thought it would go about like I imagined it would.

And mostly, it did.

But...

It just didn't feel like quite the right fit for the yarn. Or maybe it was the vibe I got from the collaboration. Or the vibe I wanted to get from this design.

I just wasn't feeling it.

And y'all. Those of you who are knitters? Just wait until you see Ethan's knit shawl!! It's gorgeous.

So maybe that was part of it, too, ha ha. I wanted it to feel more like a sister shawl than a distant crochet cousin? 😆

Anyway. I set the first swatch aside to think about it. And I also emailed Ethan to get his opinion. But within just a few minutes of hitting that send button, a new idea started percolating.

I gave it about five minutes and then sent him another quick note to tell him to hold that thought!

A few hours later I had a new swatch that felt more aligned and yes, a second pattern!

I'm still working on writing the instructions out, typing it up as I go along, running my little spreadsheet alongside to help keep track of rows and stitch counts and yarn used.

Here's a peek at how she's coming along!

Oh and that first pattern?

I've got some thoughts on how I might tweak it when I come back to it in the future, hopefully with more of Ethan's fabulous yarn!

Just in different colors. Maybe a different base?? I don't know yet. We'll see! Maybe. One of these days.

In the meantime, I decided to go ahead and let it live its own little life as it is for now, as a pattern preview over on Patreon (available individually for $5 or you can join me as a monthly supporter for as little as $2 a month and get access to it as well as over 20 other unpublished crochet designs PLUS a Connie-made art postcard in the mail each month).

The pattern is pretty simple, and like I said last time, it's a riff off the stitch pattern I used in the Herring Gull Wrap, with a four row repeat (which is really a two row repeat, just with a very minor change between the alternating mesh rows).

I think it would be exceptionally lovely in a singles base, maybe a nice wool and silk blend? And it's perfect for stashbusting or other types of color play, not just the three-color striping method!

So. She's just a swatch here, but I think one of these days she'll grow up to be a full-sized shawl, realized in different colors and in a way that lets her shine!

In the meantime, I'm going to keep working on version two!

I'm about 200 rows in and I still have LOTS of yarn left, which I love. Well, at least until I have to go in and extend the formulas in my spreadsheet, lol. That can be tricky sometimes. But so far so good!

Oh and it's a new month, too, isn't it!? Happy October, y'all. (It's my fave.)

Which means voting is on for this month's postcard for each of my awesome paying members on Patreon. You can vote here, too, if you'd like!

Which one of these florals is your favorite??

Letting Patrons vote on the postcards each month has been a lot of fun, and I'd like to do it again sometime, but since next year is a PCS year (we'll be moving to Georgia in June, probably) I think it would be best to have a pre-determined plan instead. So I'll probably send out the same image from the calendar each month. Which, yes, I'm working on!

I haven't been painting as much this year as I would have liked. It's been so busy with tapestries and residencies and art shows! Which is amazing. But also kind of exhausting!

So I'm looking forward to a little more painting time to round out the collection of images for next year's calendar. (Which might lead to a few new tapestries, too, actually. Smaller ones, though!)

Wish me luck.

And, actually, if you have any requests for future calendar/card art themes, hit reply and let me know! I can't make any promises, of course, but you never know—you might spark the next creative idea! (If you do, I'll totally send you the calendar that comes out of it.)

All right, I better get back to work on that shawl.

Cheers!

-Connie

P.S. Ms. Mabel is down to three babies now, but they seem to be doing all right. Getting into that awkward kid-Skeksis-looking phase, lol, but otherwise they all seem happy enough! Here they are about to settle in for a nap in our backyard: