Won 1st place at Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, and 1st place, Champion, and Best of Show at Damascus Community Fair!

I have been desperately waiting for this pattern to come out for months! I have been a huge fan of Beth’s patterns since my first Henslowe, and am only waiting for the right yarn to cross my path before starting a Jackson Square. I have found her patterns to be clearly written and wonderful to stitch. She has also been very accessible through Ravelry message in the off chance I have had a question in the past.

The yarn was specifically bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool in anticipation of this pattern’s release. I have never worked with Fiber Optic Yarn co before, but the color is a luscious chocolate with a hint of sheen and a beautiful stitch definition that is really showing the star stitch to advantage.

Also new to this project, since I didn’t have size 7 needles, is a set of ChiaoGoo red cables. I started my needle collection with Addis, fell in love with Hiya Hiya, and have to say, nowlove ChiaoGoo best of all.

In two days I have worked through 2 feet of the needed four feet of star stitch body. It is a four row repeat, so a pleasant and mindless stitch I can do anywhere without fear of making a distracted mistake.

I didn’t get to spend as much time on this as I hoped… I had to work on a baby blanket for a shower gift. However, I finished the star stitch body, and began the pick ups around the piece.

The pattern says 3 stitches for every 4 rows, so if you worked a selvage edge, this comes nicely to pick up 1, pick up 2, pick up 1, pick up 2 all the way around.

Currently working the lace bind off, and as with Henslowe, find it genius.

Very pleased to say this will likely be done in time to enter in to the county fair, where I expect it to place very well.