Circulars are Double Points too

First, the obvious question: "Did you finish the Duchess Shawl?" Um, no, I ran out of yarn.

I did finish the body. The decreases finally reached the magic number of 7. Seven the favorite number of prime afficionados, Harry Potterites, and Duchess Shawl knitters everywhere. So I dutifully started picking up stiches. On. All. Three. Sides.

About a half million stiches later, I realized that there was no way I was going to fit all these stiches on one circular needle, especially since I was only about halfway around. So I found another needle, and kept going. Three million stitches later, I had worked my way around, and realized again that while all the stiches squished onto two needles just barely fit.

Row 2: increase by one stitch on every stitch. (Translation for the non-knitting muggles: double the stitches.)

So I bought two more needles. I had to go to three stores to do it. Apparently there is some sort of run on size 5 circular needles in Lafayette.

I finished Row 2, so now there are approximately 100 million stitches on four circular needles, strung together like giant double points. And that is when I ran out of yarn. And realized that I need yet another needle, to have the "working" needle.

I can buy the fifth needle when the yarn arrives.

Today, it is all about Ruffle insanity

P.S. For those who prefer their math exaggeration free, I have not actually counted the stitches, but I estmate 1200 stitches picked up, so 2400 stitches after the increase row. If I ever get bored, or find that the curiosity is driving me crazy, I will count.

Tip to Tip

We are really down to the wire for the Duchess Shawl. Which is good, since I have been ignoring the chorus of "Aren't you on the ruffle yet?" wherever I go.

A mere twentysomething stitches across, decreasing 4 stitches every repeat, down to 7 stitches wide. I only have a few repeats to go. If I really buckle down, I may start the ruffle tonight. Ok, Ok, so I have thought that every night this week. Tonight I have a couple child-free hours, so as long as I don't get distracted by the Superbowl, I have a shot. I am straightening the ruffle needle cable, just in case.

The really annoying part is that I know that I am not going to have enough yarn. I need at least one more skein, maybe two. Maybe three. I have not ordered the new yarn yet, but there is a method to my procrastination. I surely have enough for at least one row of the ruffle, maybe two. So once I start the ruffle, I will have a better estimation how much yarn I need.

Today, it is all about the tips.

Sprinting to the Finish

The Duchess Shawl is finally getting close. It is only 60 stitches wide now, so each row only takes a few minutes. Plus the excitement is bulding. I am making the 60 stitch dash to the end of a Triathlon.

Except that my ride has forgotten about me and I have to walk home.

How many more metaphors can I come up with for the ruffle?

Judicial Notice

"Counsel, aren't you finished with that YET?"

I was knitting on the Duchess Shawl in a courtroom this morning, waiting on the other attorney. It was a slow morning, so the judge didn't have his usual line of people waiting to approach the bench during Motion Hour. And apparently not only did he notice what I was knitting, he remembered that he had seen it several times before.

I am not certain if that is a testiment that I have been knitting way too often in his courtroom, or to his memory.

I would say that I am *almost* finished with the shawl, except the ruffle looms far and large in my future. The ever-decreasing and acceleration factor of the body is cool comfort, so to speak.

Today, it is all about the notice.

New deadlines

The original deadline for the Duchess Shawl was September 15th, the end of the Knit-along. Passed. The original deadline for the Hunting Covertible Mittens was November 15th, opening day of hunting season: deer (rifle) season. Passed. The second was opening day of hunting season: deer (muzzleloader). Passed.

I obviously need some new deadlines.

I have been working on Duchess shawl. I am on the downward side, decreasing a stitch every four rows. Sounds like slow progress, but each row is already down to four minutes.

But the suicide ruffle looming at the final edge. It is like making it up and down a mountain, then taking a lap around the base as soon as you get to the bottom.

Today, it is all about the milage.

Looming deadlines

For a knitter that doesn't usually have knitting deadlines, I have had a lot of them lately. The Duchess Shawl fell short. And yet, I immediately jumped into another one with the Hunting Convertible mittens. Then, just for giggles, I threw in another one in the middle of things.

I decided that Bugaboo would make a perfect Harry Potter for Halloween, and you can't have that without a Gyffindor scarf, of course. At least I was smart enough not to do it in fingering.

I was sewing the cloak and finishing the fringe on the night before, but I got it done in time.

So now I am back to the Hunting mittens. I have just started on the thumb increases

Today, it is all about the deadlines.

Knitting Promiscuity

It took about a week to sink in: I can knit on other things besides the Duchess shawl. No longer bound by either the Knit-along deadline, or the weather (it is shawl weather now, and won't be again til spring), I can work on the shawl at my leisure.

I never have been one to stick to one project. I have knitting moods, and like to have many projects in progress, even similar ones. It takes longer to complete any one project, but it keeps all of them fresh. And if one is getting stale, a break is just the ticket for me to forget about it for a while, then fall in love again.

Besides, there is another deadline looming. Hunting season is fast approaching. (Actually, bow season started Saturday, but my sweetie hasn't practiced with his bow enough to try that, so he won't be getting out until shotgun season starts in another month.) It would be nice if I finished his mittens in time. Plus, worsted wool has immediate gratification.

Unless you decide to knit it more than once. Knitting the something, frogging it, then knitting again reallu cuts down on the "instant"part.

I am making mittens that have a fold-over flap to convert to fingerless mittens. Ive heard them called convertable mittens, or glittens, or glomitts. Anyway, I finished the first one, except for the flap. Then I decided to do the second one, up to that point, before proceeding.

And now I have two slightly different mittens. I am not sure if I screwed up on the first or the second, but they are not alike. Minor difference in the increasing of the thumb, which results in a half inch difference on how high up the wrist the mitten goes. My Mom pointed out that it was not a significant difference, that it would not be immediatly noticeable to others, and it did not hinder the mittens warmth or usefullness. So, no big deal, do the flaps and be done.

Except. . . . I don't want my sweetie to think that I did these half-assed. (I have also noticed that my guage on the wrist ribbing appears to be a little different. I don't know if I used the wrong needle size, or it was just the months difference between the two cuffs.)

So, my new plan is to frog the mittens, both of them, and re-start doing two mittens on two circulars. At least whatever mistakes I made will be made on both of them and considered a creative enhancment.

Great plan, except that I am now restarting from two needles and two balls of yarn. I hate re-working.

Today, it is all about the full ass.