The Joy of a Well Written Pattern

I am one of the 966 Ravelry knitters who has experienced the sheer joy of knitting Brooklyn Tweed's Girasole pattern. Part of this joy stems from the uninterrupted rhythm of knitting in the round. Another portion of said joy can be attributed to the Malabrigo yarn I'm knitting with -- if they made eggplant colored butter, this yarn would be it. While nostalgic memories of past doily knitting accounts for another smidgen of my joy. But really, when you peel away the layers, the heart of my Girasole joy comes from a well written pattern.

Girasole is a bit of a blob on the needles -- Chart F, Row 5

Each of us -- based on our experience, knitting style, and brain quirkiness -- have qualities we consider essential to a well written pattern. Here are my reasons for declaring Girasole to be one:

• The designer, Jared Flood, respects the intelligence of his knitting audience. His instructions are concise and precise and he includes links to additional resources for the curious or those seeking further explanation.

• Girasole is a potentially daunting project filled with many rounds of 600+ stitches, but the pattern is divided into managagable sections allowing for a sense of accomplishment and movement through the project.

• The Lace charts are large, clear, accurate,and accompanied by a detailed legend.

• The pattern itself is aesthetically beautiful and well designed -- from the layout, to the color scheme, to the gorgeous photos.

• And last, but not least -- the pattern is error free.

If you're one of the 2069 knitters who has this project in their Ravelry queue, I have but one thing to say: What are you waiting for? Cast on!

I love how the sections flow into each other!