Black and white worked into a pattern that looks like a procession of small crowns, row after row, framed in black lace and finished with a bow that would not look out of place on a duchess getting ready for a portrait. It has structure, drama, and a slightly severe elegance that suits a very particular kind of reader, the ones who want their fantasy heavy on court intrigue and heavier on velvet.

It took patience to build, and it shows. Every row asks you to work in two colors at once, connecting white and black at exact points so the crowns interlock cleanly, and the payoff is a fabric that looks far more complicated than any single row actually was. The lace and the bow are the reward at the end of that patience, not shortcuts to it.