Recovery and Rufflely

Pretty in Pink progresses onward.  I have completed the final increase row, so now have over 3000 stitches strung along on three needles. 

A few more rows of stockinette, then bind off, and I am finished.  That sounds better when "a few more rows" doesn't translate to over 20,000 stitches.  Whose idiot idea was this scarf anyway?

Oh, that would be me. 

I do think that I will have a nice flowing ruffle at the end of the tunnel.  It is hard to judge since the flowing part is currently squished onto the needles, but I am cautiously optomistic. 

"That's a lot of markers."  Heard at Knitter-vention last Monday. 

Yes, that is a lot of markers.  And lifelines.  I am taking no chances with Black Rose.  She has proved herself to be tempermental and capricious.  She will cooperate quietly, then at the moment it is least expected, throw a tantrum that leaves me crying and swearing at intervals. 

There is a method to my marker madness.  The red markers indicate each quadrant of the overall design.  (Square, wrap-around shawl.)  The blue/white markers indicate pattern repeats.  At present, I have three pattern repeats, surrounded by a border, inside each quadrant.  I find that helps me idenitfy stitch mis-counts faster, and therefore easier and less painful to correct. 

 I have become a bit obsessed about the markers, but for now they are working for me. 

Today, it all about being a marked woman. 

[Expletives deleted] !!!!!

There are some days when you just know that you really should never have picked up the knitting that day.  Whether the blame rests with the Knitting Fates, or within myself, there are just some days where nothing will go right, everything will be three times difficult as it should be, and it is far better to ignore my knitting.  Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of ignoring that feeling, to my repeated detriment.  

Last night, as it turns out, was one of those nights. 

During the day, I had figured out and corrected my error on Black Rose, so I was anxious to start the next page at Knitter-vention that evening.  I knew that I SHOULD have picked up that last side on Fuchsia Wave, but the black alpaca was calling to me. 

Row 46 was not easy.  There were several times when my stitch count just wasn't right.  I would swear, count the stitches again, frog a few stitches, count the stitches again, count the pattern stitches again, swear some more, then repeat the process until I figured it out.  The crowd was pretty thin, as it is Spring break season around here, so even muttered swear words were VERY apparent. 

Finally, after almost 45 minutes, I FINALLY finished the row.  And yet, I stubbornly persisted onward.  It was already past time to go home, but Cassandra was still casting off her pink fluffy thing, so I decided to do the purl row, then call it a night. 

I had some yarn overs that kept trying to jump over the neighboring stitch, but otherwise the row progressed uneventfully.  Until the last 30 stitches or so.  My hand slipped, and an unspecified number of stitches slipped completely off the needles.  Semi-slippery yarn, lace with yarn overs, this was a disaster in the making, and one with which I was no longer capable of dealing.  My hands were shaking, my eyes weren't focusing, this was the end of the world as I knew it, at least for the evening.  I rescued the stitches that I could see, and carefully stuffed the whole mess into my bag. 

A disaster of this magnitude requires steady hands, a clear head, and patience.  I will sort it all out over lunch. 

Today, it is all about the %$*&^4@& knitting!

Pause. Rewind. Repeat.

I started the next chart of Black Rose.  I was very excited to plan the new markers I would place.  The pattern is four ever-increasing quadrants.  I already had the quadrants marked, but now I was planning to mark out the repeats within each quadrant, in a different color.  All of this marking is designed to create breaks within each row, to make the time more doable in one child-free sitting.  Right now, each pattern row is about 15 minutes to complete, but that is going to increase exponentially as the pattern rows continue to increase by 8 stitches each row.  At some point, it is going to take so long to complete one row, it will significantly limit the knitting opportunities.  So I am putting in breaks, where I can stop knitting, put it down, and easily pick up again, within a single row. 

That is the plan, at least.  I quickly ran into a sticky wicket.  I was short stitches on the first quadrant.  Significantly short of stitches.  This was not good at all. 

I stared at the knitting.  I stared at the pattern.  I counted stitches, re-counted, and re-re-counted.  Just when I was starting to picture frogging down to my lifeline (15 rows), I realized my mistake.  I had anticipated a row.  I had completed row 42, then the purl row, and counted that as the last row on the chart.  It still took  some adjusting on the first quadrant, which had been knitted and frogged within an inch of its twist, but I managed to successfully complete Row 44. 

Ok, so NOW I am ready to move to the next chart. 

Whew!  That was a close one.  I was dangerously close to flinging Black Rose across the room.  I did say some nasty things to it, and it wasn't until I had apologized that I was able to figure out my error.  User error.  Honest, Rose, you didn't do anything wrong, and I didn't mean it when I called you a mangled pile of rubbish.  You are lovely, and only grow lovelier with each row. 

Today, it is all about the insults and the apologies. 

(P.S.  And while I am at it, I apologize to Mother Nature as well.  Really, I wasn't being critical of winter.  It is a wonderful season.  Now, can you please make all that snow go away, and bring on spring?  Pretty please? ) 

Snowy pic

This is the time of year when I start getting sick of winter.  Sick of cold, dreary days.  I am firmly of the opinion that if it must be cold, at least give me some pretty snow to look at.  Indiana has largely been missed by the snowstorms that have blanketed the midwest this winter.  The predictions would be for snow, which somehow never materialized.  All winter long, Bugaboo has been talking about making a snowman, and we haven't had more than a dusting. 

Until this week, that is.  About four inches.  Not enough for a self-respecting snowman, but enough to serve as a backdrop for Black Rose.  I rushed right out in the frigid cold to snap a quick pic. 

I have passed the point where I had to rip back to a lifeline before.  Nearly four inches completed now.  Right now, it takes about 15 minutes for each two rows.  (The wrong side row is just all purls, surrounded by a garter border, so that one is fast.)  

As each right side row increases by 8 stiches, the width will quickly increase, and the time to finish it accordingly.  I am already over 200 stitches.  Why do I do this to myself?  Oh, yeah: gorgeously soft and bouncy alpalca + exquisite lace pattern = shawl fit for the red carpet.  Eye on the prize.    

I had Knittervention this week.  I took Fuschia Wave out of my bag, stared at it for 14 seconds, then put it away.  I just couldn't bring myself to spend the whole two hours picking up stitches.    I worked on Swirl Skirt instead.  I haven't photographed this in a while, and I have made a lot of progress, as you can see.  I am really loving the color progression on this skirt. 

It was also my birthday on Monday.  The pub gives a free shot of whiskey or bread pudding on your birthday.  My fiber companions requested the bread pudding as a birthday surprise on my behalf.  Good call, Theresa! Not exactly on my diet, but very tasty.  Besides, everyone knows that birthday calories don't count. 

Today, it is all about the snow. 

Nascar and Lace

I don't think that I am going out on a limb here, to say that my husband is about half Redneck.  He likes guns and hunting.  He drinks beer and whiskey.  His favorite colors are Harley orange and black, chrome and camoflage.  He likes his motorcycle and truck.  He likes cars, especially fast cars.  So, of course, he likes Nascar.

This past weekend was the Daytona 500, the season opener for Nascar.   The "Superbowl of Nascar".  I don't get how the first race of the season is likened to the Superbowl, but those are questions that I don't care enough to ask. 

As usual, our local American Legion was having a little bash, that my sweetie was instrumental in managing.  I arranged daycare for our little tykes, and joined him.  I had some skin in the game (a whole $5), so that made me mildly interested in the race.  Plus, I earned brownie points for "quality time" with the hubby at an event I have only passing interest. 

I was the only person knitting during the race.  After a six week hiatus, I brought Black Rose back into the active queue.  I completed five rows during the race.  That may not sound like much, but for a project like Black Rose, that is a 5k run.  I am within a few rows of where I had to pull the lifeline before.  In spite of the race, people milling around and other distractions, I followed the directions without mishap.  Maybe I just needed to practice a little more lace (ahem, Fuchsia Wave) before returning to Rose. 

Today, it is all about the practice. 

P.S.  My driver did not place in a paying spot.  :-(  My sweetie's driver was taken out in that wreck in the first 25 laps.  Dead last is a paying spot, you at least get your $5 back, but his driver got his car fixed and back on the track long enough to take work his way out of last place.  I had a difficult time convincing my sweetie that it was not a personal thing against him.   

Mommy's Time Out

Last night was Knitter-vention, my twice monthly Mommy's Time Out.  Two hours away from work and family, sipping a pint of cider, chatting with other knitters, and happily knitting away on the project of my choosing.  Bliss!

Last night, I spent the entire 75 minutes (my sweetie was late getting home to watch the kids so I could leave) in less than knitting bliss, but I did get some tedious knitting chores done. 

I purled the provisional stitches on the first short side of Fuchsia Wave.  The directions said to knit, but apparently I started picking up stitches backward, and adjusted accordingly.  I see an impending reversal of direction after the stitches are picked up in their entirety, and I am not sure how I am going to work thoat one, but I am choosing to drive off that bridge when I come to it. 

Unable to bear the thought of picking up more stitches that evening, I set Fuchsia Wave aside.  I am at the halfway mark, I will save the rest for another fun-filled evening. 

Instead, because apparently I thought that I hadn't suffered enough, I picked up Black Rose.  Poor Rose had been untouched since I had to go back to my lifeline.  As it turns out, itty bitty black yarn is not easily transferred from the lifeline thread onto itty bitty needles.   I am not certain why I thought mediocre lighting and alcohol would improve this task, and yet there I was.  I finished just as it was time to head home. 

On the drive, I realized that the company of knit-minded companions made both tedious tasks a little brighter.  Or it could have been the VIVID ORANGE blanket that someone was knitting next to me.  It was the shade of orange that was enough to sear your eyes, but I am still going with the knitters. 

Either way, Black Rose is ready for the next row. 

Today, it is all about the brightness. 
  

Catch up pics

Before disaster.

After disaster.

Actual progress. 

Today, it is all about the pics. 

Saved by the Line

I am sure that it will come as no surprise to anyone that I had to use a lifeline on Black Rose recently.  It takes longer than I would have guessed to put the lifeline row back on needles.  I was so discouraged, I am taking a little break, and working on my Fuscia Print O' the Wave shawl instead. 

That one is progressing nicely.  Two and a half repeats down, out of 17 needed.  Just for kicks, I reviewed the entire instructions.  I could tell from the picture that there would be a border, which I was looking forward to as a new experience.  I didn't realize that there was a lot more to that than expected.  The Inner Border has four different rounds; the pick up round, marker round, eyelet round, and miter round.  The I get the Outer Border Edge, the one that I already knew about. 

How did I not notice that I would have to pick up 640 stitches around the entire circumferance, do a few rows, then do the perpendicular edging that I expected?  Because I didn't get enough picked up stitches with Duchess. 

I took pictures of everything, but for some reason, can upload them.  My apologies, and I will try to add them on a later day, after my compueter stops pouting. 

Today, it is all about the Fuschia.

Block you

The Grape Diamonds scarf is fiunished, blocked and has successfully adorned my neck against cold. 

The curling on the edges didn't completly disappear with blocking, but that is not obvious when the scarf encircles a neck.  Not sure if that is the fault of the pattern or the yarn. 

I know the curling is there, but no one else does, so I am not obsessing worrying about it too much.

It did give me a chance to use my blocking wires for the first time.  :-)  My sweetie only gave them to me as a birthday present two years ago.    The wires worked beautifully, and I couldn't imagine pinning out the whole bloody length of the scarf. 

I have also been working recently on the aphgan for my mother-in-law.  Even in bulky yarn on Size 8 needles, it seems like this is dragging along.  Of course, it probably helps to take it out of the knitting bag once in a while.  Apparently, knitting fairies don't sneak into the bag at night and finish my projects. 

And last but not by any means least, the newly named Black Rose shawl.

2 inches completed, 49 inches to go.  With teeny tiny black alpaca.  On teeny tiny needles.  Of ever-increasing rows that end at 990 stitches.  Oh, dear me, what have I done?

Meanwhile, I did some housekeeping yesterday, of my Ravelry account.  I created projects (some of which are already completed--I really am behind on this), and added pictures.  Lots of pictures!  And updated other projects.  And linked yarns and patterns in progress. 

Today, it is all about the housekeeping.