Finished my Lotus Mandala Duster! In no way was it done in time for my Hanover Tavern investigation, but it was also cold as all get out that night. It wasn’t meant to be. I made a few modifications to the pattern. I didn’t do the full, flared sleeves made for dramatic gestures as called for in the pattern because full, flared sleeves made for dramatic gestures also get caught in things. Instead, I took inspiration from the Carly Waterfall Duster by White Lies Designs and ended the sleeves at the elbow with a few rows of single crochet to make a tighter sleeve cuff. I had intended to knit the Carly Waterfall Duster originally, but when I cast on with the intended yarn (Mirasol Yarn Usun), I decided I wasn’t going to enjoy the process. Carly calls for a thicker cotton blend, and I bought a thinner cabled yarn thinking I could make it happen. Better to choose a new pattern than to suffer and never finish the project. I’ll go back to Carly one day armed with a more suitable yarn. The original yarn used for Carly no longer exists, unfortunately.
I’m pretty pleased with the finished product. I found it difficult to photograph from the front, mainly because it is in essence a large doily with sleeves, and I haven’t found a flattering way to take a front photograph without the cardigan looking like it should be slung across the back of a couch. ‘Walking away from an explosion’ photographs look cool enough, for a given value of cool.
I do recommend that if you want a Lotus Mandala Cardigan of your very own that you buy the pattern from the designer. She does have a free version on her blog, but the paid version (which is not that expensive) contains clear photographs every step of the way for each round, and that really comes in handy, especially at the beginning.