A Brief Break in the Sock Action

Back view

Since I finished my March socks a week ahead of schedule I decided to take a break from sock knitting.  I managed to cast on the Mondo Cable Shell  by Bonnie Marie Burns of Chicknits last night.  I have had the pattern for ages.  I had thought the computer 'ate' it when it crashed awhile back.  Thankfully it was merely 'lost' in a file I don't remember creating...does that ever happen to anyone else?

Color Variation

I'm using another skein from Three Irish Girls.  It's called Rosea Organic Merino which is 100% merino...oops, organic merino.   The colorway is a semi solid collection of purples called Sea Nymph .  I love the name although when you see the color it doesn't scream either the Sea or for that matter Nymph to me...not that I know what a nymph looks like, ha.  I got lucky and it's knitting up at the correct gauge and the variations of color are looking splendid so far.

Only one concern...is there enough yarn?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I have a double skein that's says it is 480 yards at 8 ounces.  After weighing it I have a wee bit more at 8 5/8 ounces...pattern calls for 475 yards.  So if the Knitting Gods are kind I'll have enough...if I get cocky you know what will happen.  I'll get  smacked down with at least an inch left to knit.  The plan...not to get too full of myself.

48 Hours to GO....

Yep, it is now less than 48 hours until B and I leave for the long awaited Purl Jam Event! My knitting bags (note the plural...I have 3 ) are packed & ready to go. My "homework" is done...including blocked and ends woven in. I even will have an unfinished item for the finishing class! The Chicknits Ribby Shell is done except for the shoulder seams. I figured I'd take it with me and see what seaming Cornelia would recommend using on joining the shoulders.

So excited about the upcoming weekend. So many people I've met through Raverly to put names & faces together. A fun weekend of knitting, talking, eating, learning, ......the list is almost endless.

Oopsie

This is where I was yesterday afternoon when I took time for a photo shoot...I was much further along when I discovered I had a problem. Once again my thoughts got ahead of my fingers while knitting on a new project. I started the Chicknits Ribby Shell last week when I finished the Lace Ribbon Wrap. Really moving along on it too with about 8" completed...then I noticed it. A glitch. A BIG one. All the way down to just past the 2" ribbed edge.

Can you see it? The ribbing at the far left just stopped being ribbing...not once, but 3 different times! I had managed to knit my first 2" of ribbing and start on the body just fine, but then...a royal screwup. One that I had not noticed until I was over 8 1/2" into the body and started thinking ahead to the armhole shaping. As I was smoothing the surface & admiring how far I had knit in just a day I noticed that on one side I was somehow off in the patterning....what the? As I counted the ribbed section on one side and came up with 13 sets I started to sweat...not going to be 13 on the other side. Nope, only 10...I had changed the purled stitches to knit for 3 sets of ribbing and never caught it.

I first thought no problem I'd just unravel the 2 stitches of each set that had been knitted and switch them to purl stitches. It started out well, but as I continued up the section the tension got much too loose. After several attempts to get it all even and tight to match the surrounding area I had to reach the realization that I was going to have to frog back a very long way. It was already well after 11:30 PM and I knew that I had to at least rip back or I'd not sleep well.

The frogging began and took over 30 minutes to get ripped, wrapped and back on the needles. Of course I had to knit/purl around a few rows to make sure everything was back on track. At 1:30 PM I was all set with my knitting back on course and really ready to go to bed. At least I didn't dream about the problem all night.