Pitiless

Remind me, next time I throw a pity party, I better put out some snacks. I’m not sure you’ve got the magnitude of my pain. I have to RIP out HALF a sweater I’VE ALREADY KNIT because it’s TOO BIG!!!! A sweater where I’ve already woven in 4,361 ENDS!!!

Okay. I’m done feeling sorry for myself. My new goal is to have the sweater done by Rhinebeck. Think I can do it? I’m going to order some new yarn today – I think I can do it. I’ve got 10 weeks and like four days or something. Definitely doable. Even with some other stuff thrown in there. COME ON!!!!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!! (Got to psych myself up.)

I’m feeling much more even these days and therefore thinking about things that aren’t so bad – like writing and photography. I haven’t taken flower pictures in a while – due to the extreme weather. Even though it’s broken and isn’t quite so hot, it’s been breezy here and breeze is BAD when it comes to macro stuff. It’s hard enough to get little bugs and the insides of flowers in focus, but have the stuff blowing around and it’s just a headache. A hot headache.

I’ve been working on a kid’s job I shot right before we went away and I’m VERY happy with it, to say the least. That’s been fun. Some of my best work, I think. I hope the parents are as happy.

What else, what else…. Oh. Did you see Melissa’s Fishie Blanket? It’s absolutely fabulous. Go tell her how much you like it – because, really, you can’t NOT like this blanket. I want to make a blanket like this.

I also want to knit more lace. I have like five balls of this, and I want a great big wonderful lace shawl that I can wrap around myself in the winter that’s soft and warm and I can’t find a pattern. I’m thinking the Leaf Lace Shawl because it’s not as open as the Flower Basket Shawl, but I also saw all these wonderful lace patterns in my Barbara Walker books and I wanted to design my own shawl but that will never happen because I haven’t the first clue. Any suggestions other than LLS or FBS are welcome.

I do like these patterns by Robert Powell – especially #103 and #106 (on the Kits page). I should buy it to look at it and see how hard it is. Anybody knit any of his shawls? I think I’ve googled it before and not found much. I like that the shawl seems really modern, but still old. Know what I mean – is it retro? Is that it?

Sorry I’m boring lately. Sometimes boring is good. Trust me on this.

Comments

  1. I am totally with you on boring being good. But you are far from boring!

  2. Hi Cara – I highly recommend either Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Pi shawl from Knitter’s Almanac or Marianne Kinzel’s Maple Garland Shawl from her Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting. The books aren’t fancy, no color pictures and only the Kinzel has charts, but the patterns are clear and easy to follow and I think the books each cost less than $10. Both shawls are knit from the center out in the round; the first is round and the second square. For both I used some laceweight blue yarn bought at School Products so not sure exactly how much each took but there was enough left on the cone for several scarves and at least one other shawl! I’ve knit several shawls and these two stand out as classic, classy snuggly patterns. Let me know if you have questions, and good luck!

  3. How can you be boring when you say you’re going to knit half a sweater and sew in all those ends, again? We’re dying out here for you but, hey, we’ve all been there! It’s a big job…but someone has to do it. You can, you will and you’ll be fabulous in it when it’s done. Go grrl!

  4. sure you can get it done by Rhinebeck! we will have to plan a meet up!

  5. Go, go, go! Just imagine how proud you’ll feel strolling around Rhinebeck with your short row sweater….. NOW GET KNITTING!!!

  6. Oooh! Oooh! I saw something today that would be absolutely perfect for that yarn. http://www.vogueknitting.com/vkm/vkm.html
    It’s in the fall VK under shawls (if the link doesn’t work). Beautiful!

  7. Okay, I thought that link would take you to the one I was referring to. It’s under “By Invitation Only: Shawls”, and it’s the first in a series of thumbnails~ the green one that the model is wearing on the beach.
    Whew!

  8. Fab free shawl pattern here :
    http://www.gratefulcad.com/stellasblog.html
    July 1st entry.
    Pass it on !
    x

  9. Boring can be a good thing – but you are so not boring me! I am glad that you are feeling more even and better about things, less anxious too I hope. I cannot imagine the horror of ripping out Short Rows, but it is the right thing to do. And I am sure you get it done for Rhinebeck!

  10. I don’t find this boring in the least.

  11. I’m sorry I didn’t get the magnitude of the sweater redo…I feel bad for you now :). Thanks for sending me to Melissa’s blog, the fish blanket is absolutely adorable. And no, you are not boring, I love checking in on you, Cara.

  12. You’re not boring at all, my dear. 🙂 Love the fishie blanket! Thanks for the link!

  13. Okay, more hugs 🙂 and no snacks necessary…although I wouldn’t say no if you had them out for us…

  14. OK, I FEEL your PAIN. Ripping out sucks. But E. Zimmerman says to look at do-overs like it’s more knitting for your money! Yay! You get to knit it TWICE! (I know, I can’t quite embrace this concept either, but EZ was never wrong.)
    Re: modern shawls I am in love with the Estonian shawl in the current issue of Piecework. It’s very geometric and ‘modern’. Lacy but not over the top old-timey. xoxo Kay

  15. You can definately do a sweater by Rhinebeck!
    And… thanks for the lovely complement and link! 🙂