Black Widow Spider Queen as Stuffed Cabbage

Years ago, I decided to make stuffed cabbage for dinner. As I assembled the ingredients, I noticed that I didn't have any cabbage, nothing much for stuffing, and not a drop of tomato sauce in the house. I ended up using spinach, cornmeal, sausage, and salsa. The end result was actually quite tasty, but didn't exactly conform to the standard stuffed cabbage we all know and love (or not, as the case may be).

So, as I cruise through the final repeat of the Black Widow center, I am starting to critically examine the original border. I don't like it. The first row of thingies, which are supposed to be crowns, actually look like cartoon aliens to me. The wiggly border is just awkward and way too thick for the little flowers on the outside. And that Franken-seam! Why?


I also notice the chart presentation is called "boustrophedon," which is apparently Ancient Egyptian for "causing your head to explode because I am too cheap to buy enough papyrus to write out the entire pattern."

Setting aside the boustrophedoned aliens, I turn to other ingredients in my pattern cupboard. And lo! There is some sausage here.

This is the border of Mondnacht. Curiously and fortuitously, it's written with knit and purl rows--perfect for working in the round on a garter-stitch center. A little Photoshopping...


And we have a tasty dish of stuffed cabbage!

Now all I have to do is work out the math. And fiddle the corners. But you get the idea. I may cave, if it turns out to be impossible, but I really like this assembly better than the original.