Hi everybody! SO, today I convinced Carolyn to drive me to the Knit Out sponsored by one of my favorite bloggers, Rachael, and despite having to start the event exiled to a lonely table, we soon were able to join the very long line of tables of knitters, and met lots of cool women! Carolyn was a good sport, and let me sit and knit for hours, while she read her big new book (she scalded her fingers at work--poor baby--so didn't want to practice her purling). Everyone made me feel so good about my pirate hat, and I should mention that it's a free pattern and you can get it here. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the Bay Area soon!
So, the good news is that the pirate hat is over 2/3 of the way done! However, the bad news is that I finally decided to put my stitches on waste yarn, take it off the needles, and measure my cardigan on my shoulders. What did I discover, you ask? Well, let's just say that it didn't just seem like I was knitting miles of stockinette, I actually WAS! It was about four feet longer than it needed to be. FOUR FEET. and I have only myself to blame. well, myself and my stupid gauge swatch, which apparently wasn't big enough to get an accurate measurement. oh what a sad day it was. I proceeded to rip the whole thing out while watching the third Law and Order episode of the evening. Here is the sad end result of the night's work. As you can see, cookies and TV played a large part in the demolition effort.
That's about two and a half balls of Malabrigo there, all ready for me to start again, from the top, with new measurements, and using the gauge that I measured from the sweater before I frogged it. I will not be defeated!
Even though my spirits were low from the sweater drama, they perked right back up when I saw my comments! Thanks, y'all, for writing, and I will email you, but perhaps not tonight, since I gotta get up for church in the morning and it is late late late. In the meantime, go check out the blogs of some of the knitters I met today: Nicole and Celia! Good night, everybody, and happy knitting!
Good to see you and your fabulous hat at the knit-out. My daughter definitely wants one now that we've seen it in person!
Hopefully, at the next knit-out I'll actually get to talk to everyone instead of admire their work from wayyyy down the table! :)
(I was the one sitting across from Celia knitting a pink and yellow sock, my daughter was the redhaired young lady with the scarf knitting)
I'll definitely be stopping back by your blog! :)
Posted by: Christine | January 15, 2006 at 08:36 AM
Sorry to hear that you had to frog your work, but better to frog than to have a sweater that doesn't fit. Was your swatch knit flat? Some knitters knit at different gauges flat and in the round, which might account for the difference.
Posted by: nicole | January 15, 2006 at 11:47 AM
FOUR FEET? Wow. I've totally done that, too. Aargh. :)
Posted by: Rachael | January 18, 2006 at 04:52 PM