NOTE: This pattern is included as the first pattern of the Downton Abbey 2015 Mystery CAL: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/downton-abbey-201...
Purchase one or the other, but not both!
-@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@

Tempted once more to step back into the past, I flipped through my Weldon’s book of antique patterns, in search of something for Mrs. Patmore. Nothing too frilly for this common-sense woman, but something pretty she could wrap around her shoulders to keep the chill off.

I was drawn to the Half-Crazy Shawl (thinking of kitchen maids, mal-functioning ovens, and impossible dining schedules combining to drive her half-crazy), and was curious to see how it might work out in a different shape than the original rectangle.

The fabric of the ground had to be modified, else the directions (as written) tended to buckle the stitches – the border also required some changes to not pull the edging taut – and once again I wondered: were these mistakes in the original printing or intended as such? I suppose I will never know, but that is part of the charm and the mystery of these old patterns. So I “tweaked” the stitch pattern for the ground shells as well as the border.

I also added increase points – one at each row end and two spines. I then provided the option to relocate the spines and alter the shape as desired. The ground, when complete, forms a rather boxy figure (again reminiscent of Mrs. Patmore!). But the border changes it all.

Like the icing on one of her famous cakes, the Tufty Border provides the perfect finishing touch. It softens the hard lines of the ground (like Mrs’ Patmore’s kind heart softens her sharp tongue) and transforms the shawl with a lively dance of shells, tufts, and picots.

Oh Beryl - if no one else has ever said this to you, let me be the first - you are indeed a pretty thing!