Yesterday I started a shawl with two strands of yarn that I chose along with a new pattern. One yarn is nubby and the other is silky wool and something that makes it soft and shiny. (I need to be more specific I know. Sometimes I'm bad with the details.) I knew I was in trouble from the start. The pattern is a triangle in a lace pattern and called for casting on of 164 stitches. Triangle shawls should start with the point, so that you can quit when you decide the shawl is big enough or so you have a project that is finished when you run out of yarn. I was thinking while I was casting and counting that this is enough for an afghan, and that I had now idea what the guage of these two yarns together was, and therefore, no idea of how big the shawl hem would be. Turns out that was not the worst of my problems. The pattern was a lace made with *yo, k2tog(SSK)-psso, a common stitch, but one that should be used in combo with other stitches...not alone. I have knit variations of this stitch for years, but this one, because it was repeated over and over across the whole piece -- became moanfully repetitive, and worse....it hurt my hands! I didn't give up for 3 hours. I kept going. And my idea of a beautiful shawl looked like a long fuzzy green snake the color of pond scum. And my hands hurt.
Good knitters make good rippers, or vice versa. I pulled it off the needle and wound 3 hours of work back into a ball of yarn. Cut my loses, I said to myself.
That shawl is going to Maine this weekend...or bust. I will not finish it now, but I will at least be able to take the yarn and a new pattern along. Designing is hit and miss sometimes. I have learned not to be disappointed, that some projects just fly through your fingers and turn out lovely, and others fly and are mediocre, and others just land with a thud.
Hopefully, I will find a new pattern today, start again tonight, and not have a shawl to wear this winter that looks like pond scum. *
Cheers :-/ ]
Edit: I found a pattern by Lion Brand, with 9 rows, yarn overs, lace and scallops that I will try next. This will not be triangular, but I think it will be great. It is called the "Diva's Stole". They show it in two colors, but that is not necessary. On the other hand.....hum....
