The Lace Scarf

Rather than start off my to-do list with an easy project like socks, or a straight forward one like the sweater, OR the one I'm already half done like the hat, I decided to try and tackle the lace scarf.

I knew that this scarf was going to cause problems, because I'm not always the best at counting patterns and paying attention all the time. I did not expect, however, to be on attempt #7.

Attempt #1 was just bad. Rather than try to work out the pattern first, I just jumped in head first and just knit. Then I got to the one row that has pattern, and it was a total disaster. I ended up losing stitches, and the pattern, and then had to frog it all completely.

Attempt #2 went the exact same way.

Between attempt #2 and #3, I realized that I should just sit down and knit one repeat of the pattern over and over, so that I wasn't wasting my time setting up and having to rip out a scarf-wide section. So with less than half the stitches, I spent hours just trying to get my brain to remember the pattern. Finall, I got it to work out.

I'm not going to detail attempts 3 to 6, other than to say that the pattern could have been written in a much easier way that would have saved my brain so much effort, and my hands so much re-knitting.

Here is the pattern I'm working from, in case anyone is interested or wants to try and guess where I screwed up repeatedly. (If it seems totally obvious, I blame the head injuries)

Things are going much better now though, I shall post pictures tomorrow-ish.

Sorry I'm a slacker, not that anyone actually reads this

Really, I swear I did mean to keep up with this blog. Just after I first posted I got H1N1, and then in short succession my residence building had a fire, I went on a semi-cross country adventure, and then I got a concussion. Then I got into exams and didn't really do much of anything, so I probably could have posted then.

Alas, I am a slacker.

Now I'm into a post-Christmas crafting blitz. I went boxing sale shopping at Romni, and got the hand carders that I wanted as well as some wool to try them out with. (Some sock yarn for a pair of socks for my Grandpa may have jumped into my basket too)

Then today my Aunt and cousins and I went yarn shopping too. We were going to go check out the Purple Purl, but they are closed until the New Year, so we continued going east on Queen, and headed out to the Naked Sheep. It was an awesome day. When picking out yarn there, I decided to challange myself and start new and scary projects.


Firstly, I got enough yarn and a pattern to make a sweater. Sweaters scare me because I have next to no attention span, so I'm not sure I'm ever going to actually finish the sweater. Plus: I'm kind-of afraid that it's going to suck, and since I'm making it for myself, it will always be sitting in my closet taunting me with my failure.




Secondly, I decided to try making a lace scarf. I am not always great at following patterns, so it's going to be interesting. I've spent most of this afternoon with the yarn and needles, trying to work out the pattern in a way that makes sense in my brain. I'm sure it will all work out. Really.

Current Projects
- Feather and Fan Lace Scarf
-"pear tree emu" Sweater
- Socks for Grandpa
- Socks for Dee and Erika
- Boy hat

I think that's it right now, which is awesome.

My grammer will get better... really... I promise

Very few people that I hang out with knit or crochet, and no one else I know spins, so people tend to look at me a little crazy when I start ranting about tension issues I'm having. Or else people turn to me and ask "You've been knitting for hours, why do you have so little?" (Because I had to frog it all twice because it wasn't working! Please, rub it in)

Today, I finished knitting a Jayne hat for my brother. I would post pictures, but I left my camera at home and won't have it for another two weeks. I had to use double stranded worsted rather than chunky yarn due to the budget restrictions of being a university student, and I made a couple changes to the pattern as I went along. (I added an extra row of ribbing, and an extra row of orange. I also decreased while working on the ear-flaps, so they would have some shape rather then just being rectangles) Mine is brighter in real life than the one on the show was, and I'm not entirely sure that I love the way the double stranded knitting looks in ribbing, but I'm sure he'll learn to cope.

There are a bunch of other projects I keep meaning to work on... I have half a bobbin full of wool on my wheel that I really should finish, and all kinds of things to try and get made for people before Christmas. I'll update on them later because right now, I have to go study for a latin quiz