Beyond my slight bout with the blues over here (thank you for the good wishes, I got bitchslapped like Shiva again yesterday and knowing nice thoughts are coming around occasionally keeps me from jumping from the third floor window :) Houston we have a potential knitting disaster.
I have this slight theory: if I have everything in my life a mess and I avoid things, then the good things I am hoping to wrangle into line either aren't going to happen or are going to take their ever loving time. The big one is I will not get things if my dishes aren't done. Don't try to make sense of the universe or my thought patterns, your head will explode; Just follow along.
So you know that fiddly mohair yarn (70% Kid/30% Silk) that I have been using to knit the neverending shawl... Well after cleaning up the flat and doing the dishes (but not the laundry- THAT has to be why Shiva used all 8 arms instead of one last night!) I attacked the shawl. Me, Ally McBeal, Little House on the Prairie, and the love of a good god The Pretender and LAW AND ORDER (share the one joyous moment in my day and savour it, it's all I got right now) knit our way through close to half of that original hank (making pace on 2/3 of what I had left). And in a momentary second of "brilliance" and "joy" I noticed that I had about 1/4 of a hank left. The glee of that lead me to look at the size of the shawl (that was in crumpled/shoved knitting fashion). It was not looking even REMOTELY close to shawl size. Hesitantly I took out the measuring tape and in 3 seconds I knew I was WAY off.
So kind of freaking out a bit I pulled out the hank wrap pattern. It was simple enough (I THOUGHT); CO 3, YO increase each row, garter stitch. Go! Right... thought is the imperative word there. I THOUGHT I read it clear enough, but I looked at it again. And this time I actually READ it and PAID ATTENTION. You know what? I am using OH THE FUCK SO WRONG needles.
How wrong you ask?? Well I usually go down a size in needles on most everything, so I took that into the initial consideration. I pulled out the Denise needles when I started cause it was the only set of needles I have that were going to be long enough. Do you know what size Denise needles are marked in?? US SIZES. One guess on the problem... Here is a hint- Do you know what size the pattern needles are marked in?? MOTHER FREAKING MM's. The difference between a US size 5 and a suggested 6mm puts us into the HELL of the G-Word.
Currently it is on track to be a decent depth, one I could live with- but Houston we have a girth issue. Even blocking the ever loving lamb (or goat in this case) out of it I am not seeing this shawl hit it's listed measurements and I am not sure of its fit (we are currently at preblocked 32" they state it should grow to 70"). So just as I was starting to like it, I have the feeling that the shawl might be heading for the crapper. This yarn and its loopy self practically felts to itself before I can knit it (hence knitting from a non wound hank which for the record = pain.in.my.ass). Therefore the idea of ripping it back is really only a plausible option if I delve deeper into desperation and hell. Besides since it is bocle loopy yarn I don't know if it would reknit after ripping...
Isn't life a bitch sometimes? Most of the times?? Stop there Tink. Just as I am hitting the "I want to finish this" stride, I have put the project (Fleece Artist Goldielocks Triangle Shawl) aside. But in a delurking measure, I would like to put it out to you. Fill up the comments to shore up the comment monster's deflated ego.
That is right I am giving up the comments for commisseration and conseil (well opinions- but I was on an aliteration role and I confuse all my languages now into one- Tinkerbell Talk). As for the yarn/fabric, it is pretty stretchy, though I have no clue what blocking it to hell and back would do to the finished project. Do I give it up? Do I send it to a child? Do I finish it and leave it alone? Bueller the options??
Oh and to further delurk people and drag out the drama of the finished sweater... go ahead and post your guess as to which sweater (Pretty Wrappy Top or Fern) I have finished. Postcard from Paris to the first correct 5-10 entries.
(EDITED NOTE: If you guess either leave your site or email or send it to me using the EMAIL ME bit. So I can contact you- I have stupid blogger comments for right now and well otherwise can't touch back to you
Bon Chance a TOUS!
Posted by Stinkerbell at January 13, 2005 11:46 AM | TrackBack