Friday Morning Malaise March 28, 2008

Now, let me get this straight. It’s March 28th, and it’s snowing. It’s also somewhere in the 30s. I had turned off my heat two days ago to conserve energy, and when I woke up this morning, there was ice on the INSIDE of my windows. Oh, New England.

At least the chill meant that I was given the opportunity to bust out my finished Bird In Hand mittens! I got so many compliments on them at the bus stop. Kate Gilbert is a genius!

Pattern: Bird In Hand Mittens by Kate Gilbert.

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Red and White, one skein each.

Needles: Size 2 DPNS. I attempted to use Magic Loop but found that it was more comfortable to work this yarn on DPNS.

Mods: Absolutely none!

I didn’t post any in-progress pictures, not because I was camera-less for about two months (even though that is true), but because I was a very lazy blogger. Oh well! The mittens look so lovely at all stages of construction.

 

I should start to catalogue all my FOs by year. That’ll be my project for the weekend, since I have nothing else to do and the weather is going to be piss-poor.

More for my own amusement than for anything else, I’ve made a deal with myself to not buy any more yarn (swaps and sock yarn don’t count, obviously)  until I’ve finished all of my WIPS. I think that’s a fair deal, since I have so many!

Current WIPs
1. Laminaria Shawl
2. Embossed Leaves Socks (second pair)
3. Pasadena Cardigan
4. Odessa (sixth version!)
5. Hat and Fingerless Gloves set
6. Gryffindor colors hat

I know, I know, it’s not that long a list, but it feels insurmontable to me. Laminaria is almost finished, so I’m planning on finishing and blocking that this weekend, and then banging out the rest of Pasadena. I’ve let Pasadena languish for almost a month because I’ve run into a rough spot in the pattern which may or may not be a mistake, and I’m still waiting on a reply from Berroco. After waiting this long, I don’t think I’ll get one, so I may as well make up my own solution and finish it up. I need more cuddly cardigans!

I also found this little cross-stitch piece, hiding away in an old craft box. I think the last time I worked on it was when I was living in Ohio, which means this hasn’t been touched in at least 12 years! I’m going to head to Joann’s this weekend to see if I can find a matching blue floss to finish the border.

I guess that’s all for now! Back to account management and Laminaria. Stay warm!

Sometimes I crack myself up. March 27, 2008

When the newest Knitty was released, I immediately jumped at the beautiful Laminaria. I had the yarn! I had the needles! I had the will!

I do not have the brainpower.

I’m sure some of you are shaking your heads: "But Bee! You’re an intelligent, witty young woman!"

I thank you for your faith in me, but it is not deserved.

To date, I have frogged the various sections of this shawl a record 17 times. I’m not counting all the times in which I tinked back twenty stitches here and there — I’m just counting all the times I had to go back one or more rows. I frogged the last repeat of the Blossom Chart six times. SIX TIMES. There was the fun moment during the third or fourth frogging session (I can’t remember exactly, I’ve repressed many of these memories) when I realized that my lifeline had somehow slipped out of the first thirty stitches of my row. Of course, I realised this as I am frogging back down to the lifeline. Frogging an extra four rows was a delight. I had to lay facedown on the floor, trying to remember how to breathe, for several minutes, before I was steady enough to sit up again.

I finally made it through the Blossom Chart, and started the edging yesterday. All went well till I reached the first of the double yarn-over rows. I was off by a few stitches, but I counted back, found my mistake, wrote a note on my pattern, and decided to leave it till this morning to fix. I figured I would just unravel back to my lifeline and start that part of the chart over.

I got to work this morning, sat down at my desk, and pulled out my Lam to frog. I happily grabbed my lifeline — and pulled it out.

I sat there for about ten seconds, blinking at the lifeline, with the slow realisation dawning upon me. I now had to tink back three rows. In lace. In alpaca. In tears.

It’s only 9:30am, but I’m going to go get a milkshake. It’s the least I can do for my broken heart. Hopefully, I haven’t become stupid enough that I have to be reminded to swallow.