I am beginning to understand Stephanie‘s dislike of variegated yarns for lace. I was all excited that the Diamond Fantasy Shawl pattern came, and I started knitting, and I got this:

Dfs

I can tolerate some pooling, some puddling, a very little bit of flashing, but not stripes. (On socks, they’re okay, but this isn’t socks.) I came to the conclusion that this yarn needs to be knit into something rectangular, so there won’t be rows short enough for stripes. I went through all of my books and magazines (second time for this yarn…), and came up with a possibility in the North Sea Shawl from Folk Shawls. I cast on fewer repeats than the suggested 109, but it still seems plenty wide. On the other hand, I’m still not sure I’m happy with what the color is doing.

Northsea1

I’m going to finish the second repeat and decide then. In case I decide to switch patterns again, suggestions would be welcome. Assuming I can find an appropriate coordinating yarn for the border, I’m considering something like the Heartland Shawl from Folk Shawls.

For now, though, I’m going to sleep. I’d kind of like to not start this week really tired. I’m sure I’ll get that way over the course of it…