What a Difference a Day Makes

I started over today, and things went OH so much better. It's amazing how one good night's sleep following an earnest day's practice helps to work the bugs out of a process.


About half way through the day I had one pattern repeat.

All 192 stitches intact.

Only a few minor problems here and there, and LO I was able to actually fix them when they cropped up.

Even the time I yanked two stitches off the needle and they went down two whole rows, I totally fixed it.

I was also able to locate and fix one YO I had left out even though I was on the next row. yaay me!

Of course I'm still using my stitch markers and have my life line on the last row of the last repeat. (I learned that to be totally vital when I did the Saxon Braid scarf back in the early days before I discovered natural fibers)

Tonight, I have two whole pattern repeats! I know this is a tad blurry, but it really was the only one that showed the lacework at all. The others are prettier to look at, but you don't know what you're looking at. =) Daylight is always better, as we all know. You get the general idea, though.

I'm totally psyched and I totally hope this yarn cake's yardage will give me a decent length. I'm not in the mood to drive to Dallas.

I'll try to remember to take photos of the hats in the daylight tomorrow. My camera has issues distinguishing purple from blue - very annoying.

See y'all soon =)

More Than I Can Chew?

Perhaps I have bitten off precisely that much. It seems so at the moment, but isn't that how it always seems to go when you are starting a new skill? Well, sometimes it does, anyway. I can't hope for them all to go as well as Fair Isle, or cables, or knitting and purling, right?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I actually decided to swatch for once. I know, right? ME, SWATCH? ha ha HA - I laugh in the face of swatches! I tried 3 different lace patterns. I tried various numbers of stitch combinations. Then I finally broke out the good yarn to do a real swatch. (Yes, you heard me, I swatched in my substitute yarn first, because I didn't want to stress out my good silk/merino blend - SO I really swatched like, a BUNCH) Here's what that looked like when I finally got it to work.



I can't quite remember how many tries it took to get it right for the swatch. I did one full pattern repeat. (even though I didn't repeat it, so can I really call it a repeat?) The pattern is done in a multiple of 16 stitches, so I did 6 panels of 16. Here's what the picture looks like in the book.

What I did looked mostly like that, I only made one mistake in the swatch, which was one extra YO on row 4 or 6 or something. I think I was row four.

The swatch turned out to measure an estimate of about 16 inches wide, so I figured, if I double that and wind up with an end product that measure 32 inches, I'll be pretty much spot on for a decent sized stole.

So I ripped out the swatch, and cast on my 192 stitches, or 16 stitches times 12 panels. Of course there was generous use of stitch markers, I HAVE learned that lesson already in my almost lace projects from the past. It's much easier to count to 16 from the beginning of a stitch marker, than it is to have to go all the way back to stitch one and count to 16 over and over and keep track of which panel you have counted etc, etc, etc....

There was only one problem with that. Somewhere along the way, these last couple of years, I seem to have misplaced most of my small stitch markers, so I was using some of my pretty dangly ones along with the regulars and then I proceeded to knit them into my project. I didn't see myself do it, and I don't know how it happened, but then everything went wonky and I had to rip it out.

So I started again, and got to about row 3 or so and I thought I had too many stitches, then I thought I had the right number and then I knitted a stitch THROUGH a stitch marker (still not sure about that one either) and then I DROPPED a stitch over a YO (of COURSE) and everything sorta fell apart. = (

More ripping ensued and yes the OH SO lovely silk/merino dream yarn is started to get MAD. I'm fine, but the yarn is angry, so - I'm giving it a little rest, with my stitch markers of various sizes. Secretly I'm hoping if they sleep this way tonight, they'll both wake up in a better mood tomorrow.

PS - I'm aware that I haven't yet showed the cabled hats, and MAYBE I'll do that tomorrow or something. One of the hats I made is already lost at school. (RATS) SO, you'll just have to imagine that one when I show the pics of the others. I just HAD to blog this bit of...whatever this is... triumph/tragedy, now while it was fresh. BLAST (you gotta say it with a British accent or it doesn't sound right)

Still Stalling

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts any strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

Got this from LuvtoKnitandMuchMore =))

I do have knitting to post, I just have to get the stuff photo'd - It's been a bit dreary and I have to get my models all cleaned and prepped (which includes myself - blah) Maybe I'll be more awake tomorrow than I was today and yesterday. I've had a small bout of insomnia in the last couple of weeks (that happens when I get tee'd - long story grrrrr) Anyway, I'm getting betta, I'm not dead yet. =)

Hey, as of the 22nd, I will have gone TWO count 'em TWO whole seasons without flipping out. Yaay me! InconTHEEvable!

I'm playing around with lace patterns for a stole. I think I'm going to stick with something fairly simple, since it's my first REAL lace thing. We'll see how that goes.

More Fun

I found this quiz in Ravelry in the Princess Bride Group, that I joined immediately. I didn't know who I'd turn out to be, but this sounds just about right - lol - as sarcastic and ready to go toe to toe as I am.




Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

Now I'm in the mood to watch this movie again, and maybe go looking for the book. I think that the quote above should read this way, though: "DROP. YOUR. SWORD." =)

I do have 3 FO's to show, but... I was sick this week and the weather has been SO gross. Hardly any sun, accept for yesterday when I had a headache (of course!) when ya NEED the dark, here comes the sun... but WHATever! The weather is custom ordered by ME. Anyway, plus DD was sick, too and I need her to model her FO, I should really wait until her poor little nose heals. very pitiful =(

If you take the quiz, let me know who you are!

Heheheeee

Knitting Content Coming Soon =)

I Blinked

Either that, or I went into stasis. It really wasn't cold enough for that, so maybe it was hibernation? (is that also spelled hybernation, or am I just making up words again? I like my way better) Anyway, I blinked and November evaporated! Just how DOES that happen? I'm still stuck on what sock pattern to do for DD6yr (how sad is it that I still haven't come up with a decent cyber name for any of my kids? I should really call her the Towne Crier because she'll never need a microphone or mega phone, my neighbors can hear her at the end of the street) I think I may have gotten my answer in the latest issue of Creative Knitting. They have an easy no cable needle cabled sock pattern that I could probably downsize fairly easily, now I just have to find yarn that doesn't repulse me. (in my stash, I mean - can you believe I haven't been yarn shopping since LAST Winter or Spring? - something ridiculous like that. I should have entered a no shopping contest or something, because I'd TOTALLY win!)

Speaking of contests, remember the one I posted about last time. (Back in the good old days of October?) WELL... wonder of all wonders, I actually won! Shocking I know. As soon as I receive it, I'll take photos, but if you want to see it now, you can find it HERE .

Cool, eh? OH YES, that reminds me. GUESS WHAT? I have been pronounced an honorary Canadian by a new Ravelry friend of mine! How cool! Yaay. EmmaofFlitwick saw a comment I made in one of the Canadian groups in Ravelry, which basically said something like, 'Is it enough to just wish you were in Canada to join a Canadian group?' =) As far as I know she was the only one who responded, lol, but here's part of her message to me: "Hi there, I am on the Canadian group as I hail from Welland Ontario and I added you to my friends simply because you said you love Canadians! .... So with the power vested in me (which isn't any) I hereby dub you Canadian!! Thanks for brightening my day, Sheri"

How sweet is that? =) **beam** I think I danced around singing "I'm Canadian" that day or something silly like that, but it totally made me all giddy. (I know, I'm easily amused, that's a good thing, tho, right?)

ANYway.... November was short, I hope December follows suit. This year has been..... well YOU know, NOT SO GREAT if you were me, so I'll be glad to have the door SLAM on the entire back side of this year and hopefully knock it unconscious. Fresh new year, clean slate, of sorts and better stuff to come... yes? YES! darnnit!hecklydarnnitALL- (some white girls shouldn't pretend to curse)

Maybe I'll be knitting something by my next post. HEY just in case any of you recall my lil sis Mica? Well... she's knitting again and blogging again, this time under her real name Heidi. Check it out! I'm glad to have her back in blogworld! Welcome to the Show...

hasta la pasta peeps!