This is a really, really good one that I stumbled across while surfing the net last weekend in this great Japanese pattern drafting tutorial from Purl Soho (I totally want to visit there someday. Have you been?).
I kind of skimmed the post because I thought I had the whole drafting thing pretty much figured out. Then some Japanese characters jumped off the page at me.
Finally the mystery solved about which is the back and which is the front. I had been limping along finding different ways to rationalize which was which. What a simple, elegant solution!
I copied them down on a piece of paper to keep near me when I'm drafting and cutting.
It was kind of fun to try to draw the Japanese characters. For all I know, I wrote something completely different. Doesn't matter, it's close enough for me to tell which is which. The last two patterns I made didn't have an obvious front and back, so this has already been a huge help.
I feel a little silly for not trying to figure this out sooner. Oh well. It's always good to have a challenge.
p.s. Happy Mardi Gras. Are you giving anything up for Lent? I've been to the dentist twice recently and they keep telling me how bad carbonation is for your teeth - even just sparkling water. I love having a Diet Pepsi every once in a while (okay, like almost every day), and when I'm being "good" and drinking my water, I much prefer the sparkling kind. So that's what I'm giving up for Lent - anything carbonated. I'm even including beer. Wish me luck.

