A gift for my newest niece that I randomly decided to make about a week and a half before Christmas.

I’m so proud of myself that I actually bothered to do a gauge swatch. Turns out I needed to use Size 7 needles to meet guage. Not perfect, but it was as close as I could get.

I would have preferred to use a cotton DK yarn, but I was on a serious yarn no-buy this Christmas and made do with what I had on hand.

I made a ton of mistakes that I either had to correct, or had to work into the pattern because I didn’t have a lot of time. The garter stitch belt inadvertently became a reverse stockinette when I had to redo the lace section and back up. I only noticed my error after I had already completed several pattern repeats.

I also added an extra row of knitted stitches, creating a gap in the lace pattern. I ended up doing four pattern repeats, then an extra knitted row for the lace. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t in a position to start over, either.

If you pay attention to the pattern and what you’re doing (not watching YouTube while knitting, like I was), this is a super easy pattern and great for beginners.