Knitting in the Dark

So I had started this idiotic rant-post on the 8th and as if the knitting Gods and Goddesses had spoken, the power went out.

I didn't lose the post because our beloved Blogger auto-saves it, but 2 days later the fuming has stopped (I'll get more into it in a minute) and I've chilled out.

I have finally finally finished the Froot Loops Socks. I think it took me forever because they were boring old plain socks. I didn't do any fancy stitches because I didn't want to kill the yarn design, but man that makes for some boring old knitting.



Now I'm debating (again) if I want to keep them for myself or send them to my bestest friend in Chicago. I've said over the past months that I want to keep them for me, then said, "send them as a gift," "no keep," "no send," "no keep," "no send..." ARGH!!! I think she could use them though, they're nice and wooly and warm for the impending Chicago winter and she'd look adorable. I could always buy more yarn... sigh...

Months ago, I think back in March, I had decided I wanted to officially kick into real lace knitting. When I say "real" I mean shawls, doilies, table cloths, etc. None of this sissy lace (ok no lace is "sissy" but you get my drift).

Anyhoo, so I had picked as my first victim project: the Rona Lace Shawl by KnitPicks with some of their Alpaca Cloud. I was dead set on making myself a wonderful airy lacey shawl that everyone could "Oohh" and "Ahhh" over. I must have been high on yarn fumes and whacked out because I wasn't working at the time... It's been returned to the box whenceforth it came.

The project initially sat in my sewing room until last Friday. I had finally finished my Fruit Loops Socks, I only had one project on the needles (the Nordic Cardigan) and alas, my self-imposed project diet from the previous post had gone out the window.

So I'm finally inspired, the weather is changing (for California that means, it's turning from brown to green). I had been reading the latest posts of the Yarn Harlot and she makes the lace seem so easy.

In my haste though I failed realize that she is probably using much thicker yarn than Alpaca Cloud and also she is much more experienced and patient with lace.

Picture it, Friday night, it's hot outside (and inside - we have no air conditioning)I very gently wind my lace weight into a cake, leave it on the winder, happy that not one single piece of it broke (I had much concern about winding this dental floss thick type yarn). I sat down with my DPN's my cake left on the winder so it holds like a cone of yarn (so it won't tangle) and finally read the beginning of the pattern. "CO 6 sts, divide evenly on DPN's."

Now, I'm not a master of physics, but my DPN's are about 6-8 inches long, nickel plated and like the scene in Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase puts the cooking spray on his saucer-sled, those 6 little sitches would not stay put, they flew off faster than John Bender's dad when he spilled paint in the garage.

Not to mention the yarn is so absolutely fuzzy I couldn't connect without twisting. Hell, I couldn't connect at all because I couldn't see the stitches or where they were supposed to connect. Once connected, I'd lose needle 1 to needle 3 and 2. I couldn't keep them straight.

So I gave up. Moved on. Said sianara. Jumped online to find out if I was the only person in the whole world who lost a chunk of hair off their head trying to get those measly 6 little stitches started.

I was.

I really gave up at that point.

I poked around a little bit and found KnitPicks has a free pattern for a Candle Flame Shawl. This is rectangular and possibly much easier.

Right?

Yes and no.

And here is where I rant.

Why is it when I knit, everyone feels the need to talk non-stop to me?

I don't mind the admiration, I don't mind hearing other knitters, you know, those of us that have made more than one "knit" blanket (and know when to shut up when a fellow knitter is counting).

**I put "knit" in quotes because I can't tell you how many times I've been told, "Oh I knit a blanket back in 1742, except I did the knitting with only one of those thingies!"

-Look of puzzlement on my face, then ::ding!::

"Ah, you mean you crocheted a blanket with a crochet hook"

"Yeah that's it! I knit it with a hook"

- ::sigh::

"Yes, yes, you knit it with a hook"

I love chatting with knitters; ok I more admire how much better they are than I am, but still if I say "purl" they know what I mean.

I just don't get it though.

Picture it: Work. Daytime. Fade In.

I sit down in the corner 12 feet away from everyone else (facing away from everyone mind you), with a hugely complicated pattern splayed out in front of me (the bright lights of the break room clearly cause no blindness issues to my co-workers), I never look away from my hands or my pattern, I don't so much as smile or giggle when I overhear someone say something funny, so why the hell does everyone read my body language as "HEY TALK TO ME!!!!"

I figured at one point I'd just put a sign up that says "Busy Knitting, please don't speak to me" but then that would just make the problem worse.

So Monday, after getting so far into my Candle Flame Shawl, I had to rip it out (and ended up breaking the yarn). I couldn't get anyone to stop talking to me long enough, I missed a stitch moved to the next row and just threw up my hands, waived the white flag, and declared that lace yarn is not for me.

(and lace projects do not belong in the work place)

After cooling off for a week, I decided also that I'm going to give the Rona Lace shawl another go, but I'll use a heavier weight yarn, like sock yarn, which you can actually feel in your fingers.

For now. I have started the Spring Forward socks from Knitty.com. This way I could get my lace on and my sanity back. The pattern is so easy, you can memorize it since there's only two actual lines of lace that make up the pattern. So if you're new to socks and want something more than a regular bland pair, start there.



This is the progress so far, I just started the heel flap so I couldn't get it all the way on the blocker, just enough to stretch them out so you could sort of see the pattern (and a sleepy Monty in the background).

Oh, and I did again live up to my Knitiot title, I know that with my yarn (Lorna's Laces) on size 2 DPN's I get 8 sts to the inch. This pattern calls for 7.5 sts to the inch, so I figure hey, 7.5 is lower than 8, so I'll need a lower guage needle (i.e size 1 DPN's).

I'm about half-ways done with sock #1 and realize, I need fewer stitches so I need a larger needle.

In my "I hate ripping" mentality and haste, I quickly checked the sock to see if it fits over my foot (no use in continuing if I can't get it over my hooves). I didn't hardly have to stretch it to get it on. So I'm continuing as is.

I love my happy little screw-up's.

On a non-knitting yet still crafty note, I have been commissioned to make Smush's first Halloween costume. A few posts back I put up that super cute pic of her as a little pumpkin, well her mom asked me earlier this week if it was possible to make her into Strawberry Shortcake.

I've bought all the fabrics and will get started this weekend. I can't wait to see how both the costume looks and looks on Smushy-face. I'll post pictures for sure (I love to brag about her hehe).