June 26, 2007

So How Big of an Idiot are You?

This is how big of an idiot I am! Great Yarns, my favorite LYS hosts knitting in the garden on Wednesday nights. It's free, there's food, beverages (adult and otherwise), and a lovely garden to knit in. A couple of weeks ago, June 13th to be exact, I went and met my friends there and we knit for awhile. I have been wanting to knit lace for sometime, so before I left I talked to Fontelle (the owner) and told her what I wanted to do.

She went and grabbed Victorian Lace Today and I thumbed through it. I really, really wanted to make a triangle shawl with a knit on border, but I fell in love with the scarf pictured on page 36. I love it!

So, I bought the book, some Addi turbo lace needles, and two hanks of hand-died Malabrigo baby merino lace weight in shades of grey.

Finally, yesterday before work I wound the first hank into a tiny little yarn cake. I put the yarn and the needle into my work bag so I could cast on at lunch. During the day yesterday when I needed a break, I pulled the yarn and needle out of my bag and started looking for the pattern. Yep - not in the bag! IDIOT!

So, I get home and settle down on the couch with JB last night and grab my needle, the tiny little yarn cake, and the pattern. I cast on 121 stitches (I think), and count - 116 stitches; hmm; add 5 stitches; count again - 125 stitches, slip 4 stitches off the end; count again - 121 stitches! YEA (IDIOT x2 because I can't count!)

Read pattern, work 8 rows in garter stitch. Easy enough I can do that. This scarf is worked over an 18 stitch pattern. This morning, I sit down with needles, yarn, pattern ready to start knitting lace and the next bit of instructions say - work the 16 ROW pattern repeat 3 times. I read work the 16 stitch pattern - okay, well the pattern is worked over 18 stitches, which stitched do I skip? I get online, I look for errata to the pattern, none! I check the Victorian Lace Today Knit-Along to see if anyone else had a problem with this. I count stitches in the pattern, I read it again, finally I just load it all into my bag and bring it to work with me.

It wasn't until I called Wendy at Great Yarns this morning and read the pattern out loud to her that I realized what the problem was. I was reading the 16 ROWs as 16 STITCHES. IDIOT x3. So tonight I will begin working on the lace border and hopefully at this week's Knitting in the Garden I will have something to show. I should say that I have never knit lace before and this pattern is rated as Experienced, but come on! I should be able to read!!!

3 comments :

  1. [quietly giggling in the corner....]

    It always happens that way. Once your brain processes something wrong the first time, it's almost impossible to correct! When you get to Knitting in the Garden, just pretend you've been "SO SO BUSY" that you haven't been able to start.

    Love that you and your daughter are working on the quilt together. Maybe someday it'll happen for my daughters and me - right now they have no interest in joining in the crafting of any sort.

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  2. LOL! I think we've all done that. Well, not me of course, but everyone else. ;)

    Can't wait to see your shawl progress!

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  3. been there, done that! THe good thing is, you had not started working up the lace pattern. Looking forward to progress reports on this one.

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