Wednesday 5 March 2008

Hello, I'm Still here...

I know I haven't blogged for nearly a month... but TBH I haven't felt like it and I haven't really had a lot to show for it... my knitting mojo just seam to get up and go, perhaps it was post-Christmas burn out from knitting I don't know :o(

I have been knitting but just not seaming to produce anything....

Anyway since my last post the Alpine Scarf from VLT has at long last made some progress.... as of this morning, bottom border and 3 repeats of the centre motif....


and a close up, especially for Soo , without whom I would not be this far and the cone of silk would be on eBay for sale!!! yes it got really bad....

I 'faffed' about since the last post and eventually did one repeat of the bottom border but wasn't happy so ripped it off the needles and stared again..... a week last Sunday (24th) which I m now referring to as 'Grey Sunday' I got back to having done one repeat at 8.30am I had reached row 5 of the 2nd bottom panel repeat... something was wrong... I knew the SK2P should group together a particular set of stitches... it didn't!!! I studied and studied, couldn't see were I had gone wrong I tinked back a couple or rows everything was fine so in the end I ripped it back to the garter stitch border. Again I got to the 5th row and the stitches didn't line up so I pulled it back again... I was getting a tad distraught by now... I emailed Soo

My problem I should have mentioned when I did row 1 and 5 of the chart was that I always had 1 less stitch at the end rather than being able to do K2tog I had to K. This doesn't seem to throw the pattern out until you get to row 5 of the 2nd repeat were things just don't quite line up properly....

After exchanging emails with Soo and her offering me her phone number I re-read her last email and **ping** the light went on.... and no more K just K2tog :o) by this time its 4pm on Sunday so we rip back to the garter stitch yet again...

What had I been doing wrong???

This is so silly it's unbelievably silly and embarrassing.... the only thing I can liken it to is doing a crossword... you read the clue, you get the answer but it doesn't fit... you repeatedly read the clue your answer is definitely right the grid must be wrong... you leave the crossword go back to it re-read the clue get a different answer and hey presto it fits and not only that it fits with all the other clues that intersect that one!!!!

Yes I know I'm putting off telling you what I did wrong :o(

OK Rather than reading the chart all the way across from right to left I was just reading the pattern repeat for the top and bottom borders... as those of you with the book will know or can go check the chart for the diamond edging has bracketed sections saying top and bottom borders, left border and right border etc.... well I decided that I should only be doing the pattern repeat for the bottom and not reading the whole of the chart because that bit was bracketed right border!!!

OK I told you it was silly.... but it didn't end there.....

By the end of Sunday evening 9pm I had now managed to complete 1.5 repeats of the bottom border, yeahh back were I started at 8.30am 12 hours earlier....

Monday came and went nicely my friend Janet and our god-daughter came to visit... I decided that I could get the last 8 rows of the pattern in before tea and do another 16 rows after tea.... I got to the last few stitches of row 16 and I dropped a stitch and it ran all the way down to the lifeline 16 rows below - the air was blue- so I was now further behind at 6pm on Monday than at 9pm Sunday Agghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

all DH could say was "you should have put your lifeline in half way through the repeat" - isn't hindsight wonderful!!!!

I did not touch it again that evening.... I managed to complete the 2nd repeat in the following days and this Monday (3rd) I managed to finally complete the 3rd repeat and the transition rows. It was only Tuesday that I finally managed to start the centre panel motifs....

And after all that I still have my knitting mojo, but at the moment it's a case of needing to knit it for a gift for the 17th April, I'm not hating it but am not enjoying it, I think it will be a while before every time I look at it I don't think of those wasted 2 days...

So thank you Soo without your help I wouldn't have made it this far..... you deserved your present... :o)

Less stressful knitting and a learning curve has been the Patons (UK) Sorbet top a new pattern this summer for one of last years summer yarns (70% cotton & 30% Acrylic). Quite chunky for me to knit (6mm) and a tension of 15sts x 22 rows.

I had 3 balls of the burnt orange left so opted for the contrasting ribs which I like immensely, again with hindsight I would have made the bottom rib twice as deep..... I had to lift the neck line as it originally started 2 rows after the armhole shaping which would have seen me done for indecent exposure!!!

I also knitted the body and the sleeves as far as possible in the round... another first for me as you may guess I pulled my EZ books of the shelf and having being enjoying leafing through..... It fits lovely too... DH is out so no photo of me modeling :o)))

And last but by no means least my sock knitting which has probably kept me sane through the last month... both socks have partners halfway through.....


12 comments:

Kai said...

*hugs* It happens to us all at some point. But you're near the finish post, so that's a good thing! The top looks great and the socks a cool!

fleegle said...

Bad, evil pattern! I am glad you finally vanquished it! Looks lovely.

The sweater is adorable and the striped socks are delicious!

Hellbelle said...

The shawl certainly looks pretty - I'm sure it'll be worth it!!

The top is cute :)

Soo said...

I love the colour - it is going to be stunning. And look at it now - all innocent and perfect looking, behaving itself. When it's done this will all be just a dim memory!

I can't believe I haven't bought any Colourmart yet....must rectify that.

gilraen said...

Stunning lace work as always even if there were trials and tribulations with it. Your other knits are lovely too. :)

fleegle said...

Aw, thanks so much for your compliments!

Moggle said...

Alpine lace looks wonderful. Just keep perservering and it will all be worth it in the end!

fleegle said...

The yarn for the red shawl is Trenna from Little Knits.

Probably Jane said...

Oooh lace!

I'm planning to dip my toe into knitting with proper laceweight this yeaar - thank you for the inspiration.

Lacefreak said...

Your Alpine looks amazing even if it is trying to torture you to death. You will get even with it when you subject it to the rack, I mean block it :-) The sweater is very cute and as usual, socks save the day and your sanity! Excellent knitting and great team/detective work! Hip Hip Hooray to Soo and to you!

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fleegle said...

I see you think Harry is funny. YOU should try sharing your stash with a giant spider. Hmmph.