This puzzle is a story about Charlotte catching various insects in her web. The path that she takes growing her web in a circle from the centre can be interpreted either as crochet or knitting instructions, with each bug intended as a bobble stitch, and certain rounds being increased by working two stitches into one, to maintain the circular shape. Once the complete circle has either been created or charted, the last lines of the story tell the solver where the top of the circle is, and hints at the Braille extraction.
As a further hint, the twelve insects are alphabetically named from A-L, and each letter of the answer corresponds to each of the bugs in order, as further confirmation of which bugs group together to form each Braille letter. The story can be converted into a crochet or knitting pattern as follows, with [A-L] denoting a bobble stitch for each insect caught.
Cast on 8
1: 8 stitches
2: increase 2in1 8 times
3: 16 stitches
4: increase 2in1 16 times
5: 4 stitches, [G], 5 stitches, [F], 21 stitches
6: 26 stitches, [G], 5 stitches
7: 16 stitches, [F], 15 stitches
8: increase 2in1 31 times, stitch then [G] into same stitch
9: 18 stitches, [B], 39 stitches, [G], 5 stitches
10: 45 stitches, [J], 5 stitches, [K], 12 stitches
11: 23 stitches, [B], 40 stitches
12: 64 stitches
13: 32 stitches, [E], 31 stitches
14: 2 stitches, [H], 26 stitches, [E], 34 stitches
15: 43 stitches, [J], 20 stitches
16: increase 2in1 5 times, [D] then stitch into same stitch, increase 2in1 32 times, [I] then stitch into same stitch, increase 2in1 14 times, [K] then stitch into same stitch, increase 2in1 3 times, stitch then [L] into same stitch, increase 2in1 6 times
17: 64 stitches, [E], 63 stitches
18: 28 stitches, [C], 19 stitches, [A], 20 stitches, [E], 58 stitches
19: 39 stitches, [B], 14 stitches, [A], 25 stitches, [I], 18 stitches, [K], 28 stitches
20: 118 stitches, [L], 9 stitches
21: 45 stitches, [A], 5 stitches, [A], 76 stitches
22: 12 stitches, [D], 5 stitches, [D], 58 stitches, [I], 36 stitches, [L], 13 stitches
23: 108 stitches, [L], 19 stitches
24: 48 stitches, [A], 79 stitches
25: 15 stitches, [D], 64 stitches, [I], 47 stitches
26: 128 stitches
27: 32 stitches
With the created/charted web oriented with the top as described in the puzzle, the clusters of bugs are arranged in three rows of 4, as shown below:
Antlion | Bee | Crane Fly | Damselfly |
European Wasp | Fruit Fly | Gnat | Horsefly |
Ivy Leafroller | Jewel Beetle | Kelp Fly | Lantern Fly |
Colours used to distinguish groups of bugs
From the completed web, Braille letters can be identified, and the answer QUANTIZATION can be extracted.