When Good Knitting goes BAD

Once Upon A Time there was a cocky knitter who, having just cast of a fairly complex, large shawl with no pattern repeats and teeny, tiny needles, bragged to herself that she had "Aced this one!"

The knitting gods heard her and laughed from on high.

She soaked the finished shawl and meticulously pinned it out on blocking boards, tape measure in hand and pins in her mouth to make sure that it was just right when...

She got hit in the face with a bead!


So distraught was our knitter she could not even take a proper photograph to show the gaping hole in her knitting and many bars of chocolate and not a few glasses of wine did little to console her.

Eventually our knitter dried her eyes and picked up some more tools of the trade.

In this case, a sharp sewing needle, another bead (the one that hit her having disappeared during the crying fest) and started re-weaving her work.






Good bright light was required along with an embroidery hoop to stabilize the work (not pictured, don't ask why but I kept taking it off and futzing with it between shots) and if you look closely at the picture above you can see the end of the yarn sticking out from where she started to weave it in.

Another blocking session was required to straighten things out all the way (again blurry, she must have been coming down from the anxiety attack but still shaking) but finally she was happy with the results!
Persian Princess revisited to show that everyone has good knitting go bad!

~M

Sock Starts on Sunday

Clue 1 of the March Mystery Socks from Sock Knitters Anonymous. I LOVE, LOVE,LOVE the yarn which is from Land O Lace. The second clue comes out tomorrow, so I am ready just in time. This pattern has a lot of twisted stitches and cables along with lace elements, all my favorite things in one small package!

As promised yesterday :

Snow Queen Stats!
Colourmart 2/28 Extra fine Merino in cream. I had a full cone and still have quite a bit left, enough for a smaller shawl. :)
Sizes 1 to 4 (US) needles, I changed sizes whenever I felt like it to get the extra change in, as written there would be three size changes from start to finish and I put in four.
Techniques : nupps, nupps and more nupps, adding beads "on the fly", multiple double decreases (left leaning, right leaning and centered vertical) and that fiddly center start.
My shawl blocked out to just on 62 inches across, and is, in my opinion, the prettiest thing I have ever knit!

If she follows her usual trend, Andrea will have the pattern for sale, if you didn't get into the knit along group, shortly but in the meantime check out her post about Ingrid.

As things are starting to thaw out here in Ohio I am off to make a career of mopping up muddy dog footprints from the floor!

~M

Massive Pictures for Silent Saturday

Details to follow. :)

~M

Sterling Silver

A little while back I used this yarn to make a wonderful, convertible wrap. Netsuke in Sterling Jade Sapphire Silk Cashmere with glass beads left enough yarn and beads for a pair of gauntlets! Not quite finished objects, last time I checked like feet, hands come in pairs and there is only one mitt finished so far, wonder how far I will get tonight?

Before you ask...yes it is another Bad Cat Designs pattern and can be purchased right from her blog here!

Just one more post today!!

Hermione's Everyday Socks
Serenity Sock Yarn Lavender Topaz
size 1 (US) needles
Not quite as dark as the very wet blocking pictures show!!

Will the real color please show yourself?

The color on yesterdays blocking shots was WAY off. I meant to say something when I posted the pictures, but had a blonde moment (not bad for a redhead!).

The drama queen says it is too big for her so Horay! a vest for me!!

~M

Going for Gold!

Athletes train for years to participate in the Olympics, which much competition to get to compete for your country and even when they win the chance to go for the gold many play and don't win.

Knitting as a competetive sport does not leave the same tears of losing out by an inch, or one goal or one point the way the for real Olympics do as the only person you are really competing against is yourself but finishing this project was a close thing!

During the knitting phase of the Olympics my life has been plagued with longer hours at work, snow to shovel, meetings and conference calls that were not knitter friendly not to mention gauge problems.

It takes a certain kind of hard headedness to refuse to let those things make me change projects and I adjusted the pattern as I went without frogging or ripping more than a couple of rows at a time and finally, this evening after dinner I finally cast off the ribbing around the armholes of :





Wood Hollow Vest by Kirsten Kapur
ColourMart Lambswool/silk 2/4
Size 3 and 4 (US) circular needles
Mods : modified to knit in the round up to the armholes, added waist shaping by decrease one stitch each side of side markers every fourth round 4 times and the working even until two and a half inches below arm hole shaping. Increased back to original stitch count before armholes to allow for bust ease. Deepened the neck line and kitchenered the shoulder seams together in pattern. Decreased ribbing around arm holes to four rows instead of five and used a suspended bind off for neck and armholes as I couldn't get my hands on my larger size needles when I wanted them!

Now I wonder if I can get two and a half socks knit in the next 24 hours to stay on track with the rest of my knitting?!?!


Yeah, I didn't think so either!

~M