Straight Lines

Those who know me best will tell you that perfect symmetry is not my thing.   It has been a battle for decades during any home decorating activity.  It is possible, just barely so, that I have come to accept the beauty that others see in absolute straight symmetry.

Witness the bead work on this Multnomah version.  Straight lines of beads imbedded in the feather and fan stitchery.  Go ahead.  Click the photo and check out my progress.

If you know the F&F patterning you know about the (dreaded) Row 3 that calls for YOs and K2Togs.  The result of that shaping makes the lace work undulate.  That effect is evident in the photo even though the stitches are still on the needle. 

Here I've added  a bead (crochet method) around each center stitch of the open work on Row 3.  Did that for five repeats and then for repeats six through the end  that stitch will be beaded on every right side row.  The result is that the beads will be closer together toward the bottom of the shawl.

The plan after that is to add a beaded picot bind off only at that same stitch line.  The big picture (at least in my mind's eye) is undulating feather and fan rows with straight lines of beads that "pull" the points downward and end in a bead drop that hangs off of the bottom.  

I'm liking these straight lines of symmetry.  The beads are subtle, but echo little streams of water running down mountain valleys to end  in tiny falls of glistening moisture.