Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads
And recks not his own rede.-- Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
To be honest, I had not known the origin of the phrase "Primrose Path" when I named this sweater, although I was familiar with the connotation of a less-than-righteous route through life. In thinking of the way the lace band on this pullover starts at the hem in front, wraps diagonally around the side of the body, and finally ends on the upper back, I liked the suggestion of something slightly naughty in traveling along this lacy "path." When I first swatched for this design, the margins of the path were clean and straight, but I decided I wanted something a little more windblown, more spontaneous, which is why I added the scattered individual lace flowers along the path's edges*.
I love the way Twist Collective photographed this sweater-- but these photos show the "path" in more detail.
The other great thing about this sweater is the allover ribbing, which gives it a body-skimming and flattering fit (not unlike the Rib & Braid Pullover/Jumper, or the Chinese Lace Pullover!).
*But if you prefer the clean lines of the lace band by itself, the pattern gives directions for omitting the scattered lace flowers.
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