Friday 22 October 2010

What the...?

A while ago, I was unable to finish my February Lady Sweater due to running out of yarn 4.5 rows from the end. I set it down (on the naughty step) and left it for a while. Then I needed to buy some more of the same yarn, but in a different colour and decided to suck it up and buy an additional skein in the colour of my sweater.

It arrived today and I picked my sweater back up. I decided to extend both of the sleeves by a few extra rows of garter stitch. I really like big blocks of garter to compliment the lace sections and I had done less rows the first time around to try and save yarn. So I grew both sleeves by 7 rows. Then I deicded to enlarge the bottom section for the same reason.

So I've unpicked the bind off and knitted two additional rows. Then I found it.

About four rows down and for four stitches, there is a random bit of stockinette amongst the garter.

What the...?

Now I originally knit this section of the sweater about 4-5 months ago and I have NO recollection at all of putting a random bit of stockinette in. And I'm sure thats something I'd remember.

Now do I leave it (it's unoticeable to anyone who doesn't know to look for it) or rip back for the sake of continuity?

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Patient

I'm not very good at not being well. Normally, I just ignore it til it goes away (well, ignore it in so much that I whine about feeling ill constantly, but keep doing everything I normally do).

It always seems that when I get really, properly, can't do anything but curl up by the fire and hope for a quick death ill, it's never at a convenient time.

Right now I'm ill, really, properly ill. Swollen tonsils, aches in all my joints, temperature, too much pain to even KNIT ill (and you know that i'll, right?). Except that tomorrow Ofsted have decided to visit the school. And it's the Centenary celebrations for Guiding in the evening. And then Thursday is also Ofsted. And then it's Friday and there's no point in taking the day off.

So this virus can go take a running jump. I don't have time for it.

And I want to knit again.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Cold

When I get a cold, the bit before hand goes through a few stages. First, I feel kind pants for a few days - I can feel my sinuses filling up and I feel headachey and run down. Then I sneeze continuously for a couple of minutes - this is the real start of the cold. Then I feel pants in general for a number of weeks.

I just sneezed forteen times in a row.

Hello Cold.

Another kind of cold I am experiencing at the moment is the 'central heating will be in in a week' kind of cold. The kind of 'it's colder in my house than it is outside and it's October' kind of cold. One more week and this should be over. But it's going to be one seriously cold week. A week charaterised by my desire to cart my duvet everywhere (I love love love my duvet).

Have I mentioned I dislike the cold??

Tonight's post is bought to you courtesy of a copious amount of red wine.

Sunday 10 October 2010

Chugging Along

I'm sure I've been busy, but when I sit down to think over what I've actually done this week, I'm not sure I could say.

Both stoles are moving along at a steady pace. I'd like the pace to be a little faster as I have so much I want to be getting on with, but I never seem to get the time. I'm still not sure I actually *like* the Raspberry Dream stole. The knit itself is quite good fun and I'm liking the opportunity to stretch my knitting skillz (l33t) with the k7tog, but I'm not sure I would actually wear it. Nor can I think of anyone I could gift it to. I'm still loving Muir though - it's so stretchy! This one is going to block out massive! Unfortunately as I only have a month to knit the Raspberry Dream stole (well, no one's going to come after me if I don't finish it by the end of October, but it's a month long KAL), that ones taking priority.

In other news, I have more facemask in my fridge than food. I also have facemask up my nose, but thats a whole other issue...

Sunday 3 October 2010

Two Stoles

I guess life has been getting in the way of blogging. Thankfully not getting in the way of the knitting though.

I cast on for Muir ( ) last week using the finest laceweight I have ever used (Grignasco MerinoSilk) which has 1500 yards to the 100g skein and took me just over two hours to wind into a ball by hand. I'm really loving both the yarn and the pattern - it's complicated, but once you hit the stride it flows nicely and it's wonderfully stretchy. It's going to block out to be huge, which is what I was looking for.

And I've joined a KAL (thats a knit-a-long) for October which is for Raspberry Dream Stole ( ). For this I'm using Knit Picks Gloss Lace - I bought this in a bright red colour called Fiesta with no idea what to use it for because I was so happy to find a UK stockist of Knit Picks yarn. It feels more like sock weight at the moment - mostly because of the comparison to the extreme cobweb weight I've been using - and is otherwise everything I thought it would be. Cheap and cheerful. Not that thats any bad thing particuluarly. The pattern is going quite quickly. I cast on maybe four hours ago and have done the set up rows and the first 14 rows of the first chart. I worry though that this means it's not going to be as wide as I like my stoles to be. I'm still trying to decide if I want to rip it out and try to add an extra repeat to the width. It'll be nice to try and keep up with the KAL thats running too - having lots of people knitting the same thing as me at the same time. Yeay.

Aside from knitting, this week has been a little weird. Due to one thing or another I've ended up doing no excercise at all. Up until last night when I went out to Rawkus with Slava. We danced a lot. Like a LOT a lot. Feeling it today as well!