Rumor and Inuendo Abound!

I received the following Special Notice from the Mystery Stole 3* yahoo group (I am not signed up for the emails--there are hundreds per day!)

There is a theme guess that was posted on Ravelry** this afternoon
regarding the theme of MS3 as being related to Dante's Inferno and
tying in with some apocolyptic and Satanic symbols. I just wanted
everyone to know that this is purely a guess and not at all correct.

For those who are concerned about this, please don't worry, this stole
and design are completely appropriate for just about any situation
(Christine has pointed out that monster truck rallies, mud wrestling,
and water slides might not be appropriate) . Not all brides will want
to wear it, but that reason will be revealed when I reveal the theme,
and some won't be bothered by the theme.

I just wanted to reassure everyone because I know some people are on
digest and won't get these messages for a while and some of you who are
on Special Notice might see the original post in Ravelry.

Don't Panic, Melanie

I suppose if I were the designer of a mystery being knit by over 4,000 people I would want to squash any slander I came across but honestly, who is going to believe that someone is leading that many people on a blind path into satan worship? Being fairly new to the lace knitting game, I was looking at this more as a learning experience and less of a true "mystery" in terms of deducing her theme. I have also read some of the theme ideas on the yahoo group and they are as hysterical as they are diverse.

Now, Melanie did give fair warning in the pre-project show notes that the shawl would not be appropriate for a bride. It never once occurred to me that the ultimate design, other than being pretty, might result in something out of a horror movie. Though, if I were leading the blind and this kind of rumor popped out, I might make a quick chart alteration for the next clue (clue five is due out a week from Friday) and make some letters that spell out something more mischievous. "Go Fug Yourself" might make a nice surprise.

*I am on row 85 and did not bring it along this weekend for our road trip. However, at some point tonight I managed to add an extra stitch. I sense some quality time with the shawl coming soon to "read my knitting" and repair it. This is the most tedious thing about lace knitting--fixing errors!

**I have been on the waiting list for Ravelry for 2 months and still haven't received my membership. I am dying to get on there!!