I must be a masochist.
There's no other explanation for my behavior. I was cruising along on clue 1 for the Mystery Stole and all of a sudden I didn't have enough stitches for a row (row 73). After tinking back the row I counted the number of stitches: 72. I'm supposed to have 73. So I wrack my brain and try to figure out where I went wrong. I didn't want to frog since (as a newbie mistake) I've been removing my lifeline and reusing it to cut down on unnecessary drag when pulling it out on my needles to admire so it was currently in row 66. But as I was unable to find the mistake (even though I had completed rows 67-71 without having extra stitches) there was little choice but to pull it out gently. I slipped my stitches back on my needles with a sigh, prepared to start row 67 a second time when I had a sudden thought and carefully counted them, had a heart attack, and recounted them three times.
66 stitches. 66 stitches for a row that requires 67.
After a little meltdown where I threw a little fit and cried quietly at my seat I tinked back (painstakingly carefully) to the previous lace row and counted again. 64 stitches when there should be 65.
Crap.
I kept tinking entire rows and quietly cursed at myself for moving the lifeline and was getting more and more exasperated, about to the point of regretting I had ever started the stole and thinking maybe just frogging it and denying I had ever even cast it on while chewing tinfoil and singing God Save The Queen would be a better idea... Then I hit row 58. Glorious row 58!! 59 beautiful stitches, perfectly in place and ready for row 59.
After doing a little dance (which drew odd looks from coworkers, I'm sure) and having a celebratory peanut butter cup I am now sitting back down to place a size 10 crochet cotton thread through the wonderful, wonderful row which is now my favorite row in the entire stole. It might be a WS row, but row 58 is the best row in the entire lace project.
There's no other explanation for my behavior. I was cruising along on clue 1 for the Mystery Stole and all of a sudden I didn't have enough stitches for a row (row 73). After tinking back the row I counted the number of stitches: 72. I'm supposed to have 73. So I wrack my brain and try to figure out where I went wrong. I didn't want to frog since (as a newbie mistake) I've been removing my lifeline and reusing it to cut down on unnecessary drag when pulling it out on my needles to admire so it was currently in row 66. But as I was unable to find the mistake (even though I had completed rows 67-71 without having extra stitches) there was little choice but to pull it out gently. I slipped my stitches back on my needles with a sigh, prepared to start row 67 a second time when I had a sudden thought and carefully counted them, had a heart attack, and recounted them three times.
66 stitches. 66 stitches for a row that requires 67.
After a little meltdown where I threw a little fit and cried quietly at my seat I tinked back (painstakingly carefully) to the previous lace row and counted again. 64 stitches when there should be 65.
Crap.
I kept tinking entire rows and quietly cursed at myself for moving the lifeline and was getting more and more exasperated, about to the point of regretting I had ever started the stole and thinking maybe just frogging it and denying I had ever even cast it on while chewing tinfoil and singing God Save The Queen would be a better idea... Then I hit row 58. Glorious row 58!! 59 beautiful stitches, perfectly in place and ready for row 59.
After doing a little dance (which drew odd looks from coworkers, I'm sure) and having a celebratory peanut butter cup I am now sitting back down to place a size 10 crochet cotton thread through the wonderful, wonderful row which is now my favorite row in the entire stole. It might be a WS row, but row 58 is the best row in the entire lace project.
Important Knitting Lessons:
the new lessons are in green
- Never believe a book or pattern when it says you can fudge the gauge on a fitted garment like a sweater, hat, or sock.
- Always make a swatch using the stitch you'll be using for a sock no matter what the book or pattern notes say, even if it means multiple swatches (St st and pattern), and even if it's only for your own reference.
- To preserve their sanity a knitter should have projects in a variety of weights, knitting styles, textures of yarn, difficulty, and project lengths in progress at the same time
- To prevent the desire for self-impalement on their sock needles as a relief from the monotony a knitter should not forget the importance of varying the color family of the yarns in their various projects-in-progress.
- In cleaning skyscraper windows, rock climbing, and most of all knitting intricate lace safety lines are NOT a stupid idea.
- Never put all your eggs in one basket, or all your trust in a single lifeline.
1 comment:
Ha! I love the knitting lessons. You have more patience than I do. I would have just randomly increased and kept on going no matter what it looked like. But I'm like that.
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