MS3:Pt1.b - Maybe I'm not ready for lace?

What the heck!?

I unpinned my swatch just now (over my lunch break) and I think I need to do at least another one; not just for testing the bind offs but for practicing the pattern.

Now, I was sipping some wine, AND 'Watching' "Drowning Mona" while I worked on this, BUT DANG! It looks like I made a mess of mistakes. Maybe I should have blocked it like I've seen in some of the MS3 photos - with pins pulling all three 'points' down instead of how I did with just the middle point.... something to experiment with tonight.

Guess I'll have to ditch the Martini I've been looking forward to all week. :-(

:~Þ '>-|

Mystery Stole 3: Part 1 - the swatch.

I haven't knit in about 2 weeks. Been kinda stressed out and realized that the lack of knitting might be contributing to stress level. So, I'm joining the Mystery Stole 3 Knit Along.

The swatch, before blocking.

I worked up my swatch yesterday. Clearly I need a new bind off method. Actually, I've always needed a new bind off - I bind off wicked tight no matter what I do to try to loosen it. I've copied a few suggestions from the MS3 group and will try them out later today.

The swatch - blocking

I also had some difficulty remembering to knit the first two stitches in each row consistently.

I'm going to be using pewter beads with the "dark grey" Merino Lace yarn Laura at Creative Fibers helped me pick out.

I've never worked with such fine yarn before and it's a bit of a challenge. I've been meaning to get some bulky projects going so I could get some immediate gratification, but the 'pressure' of a knit along might actually encourage me to FINISH something for once.

on another note - I went and ordered a new computer a couple days ago. I can no longer play iTunes on my 3 year old Alienware (www.alienware.com) Aurora as my SCSI drive is keeling over and when I ripped "The Essential Johhny Cash" I must have hit a bundle of bad bits on the drive. iTunes just freezes the whole system now and computing w/out music; that's just no way to live.

I may be off line a while if LEELOO (the Alienware box) dies before the new box (yet to be named) arrives.

Yummy yarn broke my heart

Under the heading of "never too experienced to be humbled by gauge" I bring you the following tale of heartbreak and (row) gauge betrayal.

With the combination of a pending birth within our circle of friends and a %30-%50 sale at the LYS around the corner from where I work I went a little mad and bought a mess of Silk; Silk and Cotton; Cotton and wool. I got gauge (stitch per inch) on all yarns and started out making the Modern Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting. mmmmm 3 different textures, 4 different colors... this is going to be WILD!!


Some of you out there already see the problem, don't you?


After doing 4 blocks of this modernized log cabin blanket, I stood back and looked at what should have been a tidy rectangle and saw this:I DIDN'T CHECK THE ROW GAUGE!!!

I tried to convince myself that "it will even out with steam blocking" but let's face it; there ain't enough steam or pins in the world to fix this!

So, I'm ripping the faded blue denim block at the top by frogging it out as I knit it into a baby kimono (also from M-DK). Meanwhile, I must plan another trip to LYS to try and come up with enough of the Berroco Touche in 3 other colors. That yarn feels like the perfect yarn for a baby blanket.

Guess I'll just have to come up with something for myself out of the silk and cotton/silk yarn.

Darn. ;-)