Mommy's Time Out

My husband is sending Mommy into a time out tomorrow, but a good one. 

He is taking both the boys tomorrow to see his brother.  (Grandma and Grandpa are going along.) One hour drive there, one hour drive back, time spent with family, plus maybe a meal.

I will be alone and child-free ALL DAY.  Hours and hours.  At first, my mother suggested us doing something together, but I smacked down that notion right out of the gate.  This is alone time, something I never really get anymore. 

I tried pinning my sweetie down on estimated time away, but he just asked if I was planning to see my boyfriend.  Well, yes, but not one about which he realistically has to worry.  I am going to spend the day with Benedict Cumberbatch, watching BBC's Sherlock .  All six episodes, plus the unaired pilot if I have time.  10 hours of drool-worthy brilliance. 

And, of course, there will be knitting.  (Sherlock is not a knit-friendly show by nature, there is too much visually going on, but I have seen every episode so many times, I can now tear my eyes away for a few seconds. 

I may finish  Aurora Borealis.

I may finish Fuchsia Wave.

I may finish the pink, ruffly thing. 

I may even work on my Monet cross-stitch, which I haven't touched in several years.

So many choices.  I have cleaning house like a mad woman today, to make sure that there will be nothing to make me feel guilty about tomorrow. 

Today, it is all about the anticipation. 

Wraparound

The Aurora Borealis shawl is still growing at a rate that defies all the usual laws of knitting output.

I am approximately 75% finished.  

It is long enough to wrap around my shoulders completely.  

It is taller than I.

It is long enough to cover a large loveseat.

It is large enough to serve as a backdrop for two very cute little boys.  

Today, it is all about knitting against the rules.   

High as an Elephant's Eye by the 4th of July

4 feet, 4 inches.  I love it when a knitted item can be measured in feet.  As this marks the close of the 4th week in progress, that is over a foot per week.  Not to shabby.   At this rate, I will be finished in three weeks or so.  

I find myself wishing for a little cold snap for the 4th of July, just so I could throw some sparkly silk around my shoulders.    

And, at long last, I have finally named the Noro shawl:  Aurora Borealis shawl.  The yarn is Noro Aurora.  The colors remind me of the northern lights.  The little sparklies a reminiscent of stars in the night sky.  The name is almost too obvious for me to have taken four weeks to think up.  

Today, it is all about the christening cermony.   

Non-repentance

I chastised Teresa as soon as I walked into Knitter-vention last night.  I waved the Noro shawl in the air, and said "This is all your fault."  She laughed without even a hint of remorse.  She did offer to take the finished shawl off my hands, if I was dissatisfied. 

Thank you for the offer, but um, not a chance. 

Then Teresa and her BFF left early to go take in some Sci-Fi beefcake.  (They were going to see the new Star Trek movie.) 

Just now, I went to my bag to take out the shawl to measure and report on progress, only to realize that I had left the shawl at home.  My immediate thought was that since my court for the afternoon is off (settled the case fifteen minutes ago), I had time this afternoon to drive home and fetch it.  Then I realized how silly that sounded, driving home from work to fetch my knitting, when I am going to be going home anyway in four hours.  That really is beyond ridiculous.  I can't believe the thought even passed through my mind.  I HAVE knitting in the office.  One dishcloth, one scarf, one sock, and Black Rose all sit within arms length of my computer.  So really, if I absolutely need a knitting break, I can take one.  Just not the knitting with which I am currently obsessed.   That really brings the obsession to a whole new level.  

Today, it is all about the impenitent Teresa.   

Close Parentheses

I figured out my error.  I have long since completely memorized the pattern for the Noro shawl.  Not: mostly memorized with a crib sheet.  Not: mostly know but refer to the chart periodcally.  COMPLETELY memorized.  And I am working on it often enough that I don't forget. 

The risk to memorization is that my mind adds on something random and wrong, which gets incorporated on all future rows.  Turns out my mind was the culprit this time. I added a yarn over at the end of the pattern repeat, that is not supposed to be there.  I did it for several rows, hence the five extra stitchs.  It isn't as out in left field as it sounds.  There is a yarn over, knit, yarn over at the beginning of the repeat, but the repeat ends with yarn over, knit. 

Note to self: remember where the close parentheses is for patterns.

The good news is that I have ripped out the offending rows.  (Now that I think on it, I probably could have just dropped down the five rows and removed  the extra yarn over.  Ach!  Well, it probably would have been too loose on that side if I had done that.  Better to rip.)  And the shawl is ready for it's debut at Knitter-vention tonight. 

Today, it is all about the (lack of) memory. 

  

Smackdown

I should have known I was due for a knitting smackdown.  I had been cruising along so nicely on my Noro Shawl.  I would have an occasional missing or extra lone stitch at the end for no apparent reason, but for the most part, the knitting has been uneventful and productive. 

Last night, all of that changed.  One row.  That is all I knit last night.  One row.  At the end of the row, I ran out of stitches in the middle of a repeat.  I counted, and it turns out I have five extra stitches.  One stitch I can in theory understand appearing or disappearing at the end of the row.  But five stitches?  I know I was tired, but I would need a long series of screw ups to end with five extra stitches.  

  
I waas hoping that a good night's sleep and bright morning sun would reveal my error(s).  Alas, I have given birth to an insomniac.  Doodlebug was still resisting sleep at 10pm last night, and yet was up and ready to start his day at 4am.  Hopefully, the sun will be enough.

Today, it is all about the screw ups to be discovered. 

Longer than a yardstick

It seems archiac these days, but I don't have a measuring tape at the office.  I have a yardstick.  An old-fashioned, three-foot long flat, wooden stick.  Every other day or so, I measure my Noro shawl.  Today was the first day the shawl was longer than the yardstick.  Approximately 38 inches now. 

Almost halfway through my yarn, almost halfway through the preferred shawl length.  

I love it when a plan comes together. 

Today, it is all about the almost halfway mark. 

Not your new blankie

I am sorry, Doodlebug, this is not your new blankie. 

Yes, it is very pretty. 

Yes, it has nice stripes.

Yes, it is the perfect size for you ( or will be once it is finished.)

No, it is not your new blankie. 

Thank you, however, for your willingness to pose next to it for scale. 

31 inches completed.  Almost as tall as you are. 

Almost to the halfway point for Mommy's shawl. 

Yes, this is for Mommy. 

Today, it is all about the cute model. 

The Incredible Growing Shawl

My obsession devotion to the Noro shawl is growing as fast as the shawl itself.  27 inches completed.  Halfway through ball #4. 

For once, my inclination to pack an exrtra ball in the WIP bag, "just in case", is not completely crazy.  With other projects, I would do it, then that spare ball ends up lying in the bag for weeks.  These days, I am honestly in danger of running out of yarn for the day if I don't do it. 

The spare ball of yarn takes some planning, since I am trying to match the color progression from the ending ball to the beginning ball.  I have dug out the yarn puke from each ball, so I know the starting shade.  ("Yarn puke" is my term for the great big blob of yarn that comes out of a center pull ball when you are searching for the beginning.  Just wait.  The term will catch on.)

At the office now, and my desktop is too stupid to talk to my smart phone, so pics will have to wait for another day. 

Today, it is all about the yarn puke. 

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

I coulda been working on Pretty in Pink.  Two more rows, then the bind off.  I had decided to do the last two rows in a seed stitch, to prevent curling at the end of the ruffle. 

I haven't touched it in a week.

If I had been working diglently on my edge, I woulda been done with Fushcia Wave.  I am halfway down the first long edge, but it is on 6's, so it goes pretty fast.

I haven't touched it in over a week.   

I let myself be seduced by a new yarn in pretty colors.  I shoulda resisted.  Two skeins down.  16 inches completed.  It has been my constant knitting companion.  I was weak.  A little silk was waved in front of my face, and I came panting after it like the shamless fiber hussy that I am.  I ignored all the other half-finished projects, and started another one in spite of my best intentions. 

Except, isn't it pretty?  I can't find it in my heart to be truly sorry.  At this rate, I will have a pretty new shawl in another month or so. 

The others can wait.  How often do I play with Noro?

Today, it is all about the non-repentance.