Project #10 is finished
file under "What the Hell was I thinking?"

Back in January, The Gillihook Heritage Knitters started a UFO challenge. We listed ten unfinished projects that we wished to complete in the next year. Each month, a number is drawn, and that's the project we are supposed to have finished by the next guild meeting.*

I was optimistic. Okay, maybe I was delusional. I had enough unfinished projects for two lists. I filled one sheet and then I doubled up and put two projects on some lines. I actually thought that I might complete more than one UFO per month. A small amount of sanity came back and I scribbled a line through the second project.**

Project #10 was to be finished by the third Wednesday in May. It's not going to happen.



When pulled my Forest Path Stole out of the closet, I realised that I was only on tier four. There are twenty three tiers in total. After two weeks, I have only completed tier six. In this Entrelac stole, there are 103 lace rectangles. I have completed 27.
It's going back in the closet. I admit defeat.



It is not a total defeat. I did finish the socks that I started years ago...seven or eight years ago.



I also finished this scarf that I started last October. I had planned to give it as a Christmas gift. Now I have my first gift ready for next Christmas.

I would have taken a picture of my Snowdrop Stole that I finished for the April Guild Meeting and rescued from kidnappers but I can't find it right now. I'm fairly certain it is in my house, somewhere, and since the kidnapper hasn't been here recently, I think it's safe....

Project #10 is not safe. I'm thinking of pulling it off the needles. It's mocking my failure to complete it.

*Finishing the project is not our only reward. When we complete a project, our name is put into a draw for a prize. There is also a grand prize at the end of the year. The more projects we complete, the more chances we have to win. My chances of winning this draw are slightly better than winning the 649, but just slightly.

**How delusional was I? The Unst Bridal Shawl, The Frost Flowers shawl and The Beaded Diamond Shawl were listed as second projects. These are all huge projects. I can't believe that I actually thought I might finish them as well as the first project I had listed.

"de gustibus non est disputandum"

I started this blog back in 2006. I really didn't think that anyone would ever read it and until I found Ravelry and linked it to my friends list, very few people did read it. No one ever asked me about the description under the title until this week.

I always assumed that the reason I was never asked about it was either that everyone was a Latin scholar and already knew what it meant, or people really didn't understand a lot of what I was blathering about and that was normal.

The rough translation? In matters of taste, there is no disputing. There isn't a better sentence to describe the variety of knitting techniques, patterns, choices of yarn etc.

I have spent the last hour of valuable knitting time looking for a new quote. Before you ask, No I have not ever studied Latin.

quidquid latine dictum sil altum viditur - what ever is said in Latin sounds profound.

I contemplated this one. Malum consilium quod mutari non potest. It's a bad plan that can't be changed. It could apply to either a knitting pattern or the whole project. It might fit for some people but not for someone who doesn't change patterns.

Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae There is no one great ability without a mixture of madness. No explanation needed for this quote.

Bonitas non est pessimis esse meliorem It is not goodness to be better than the worst. Too vague.

Damnant quod non intellegunt. They condemn what they do not understand. Do you think Cicero was referring to toe-up socks when he uttered this phrase? or was he referring to all non-knitters?

Stecius accident. Shit happens sounds like the perfect phrase for the project that needs to be ripped out or for the socks that need to be tossed because they have developed holes but not quite right for most days.

For now, I will stick with the original description. It seems to still fit the best, especially since I know that out there, in the big world, someone is crocheting toe up socks with purple acrylic yarn.

Omnia mutatur, noset mutamur in illis. All things change and we change with them.

Spring was here on Saturday

To celebrate, Spinknit and I went to a sheep shearing.


We saw the cutest little lambs.


We met Rolf, who really thinks he`s a dog and loves to have his chin scratched.

And we bought fleece. We went vowing to keep each other on the straight and narrow path and not buy any fleece. I was done in by a beautiful gray cotswold fleece. It`s in the garage right now calling my name. It wants to be washed so I can see what it really looks like. And then it will probably be yelling at me until I spin and dye it.


These are my new rubber boots that I bought specifically for the trip out to the farm. They were initiated in the sheep pen. I`m really happy that Doug had the power washer out just as I came home.

Finished a Pair of Socks

Last night I finished knitting my upside down Baudelaires. No, you are not imagining things. They are two different colours. No, I did not choose to step outside the box and knit out of two different colours of yarn.



The sock on the left was my airplane knitting last October. When I returned home and was throwing the laundry in the machine, the sock was accidentally added to the washer and the dryer. I noticed immediately that the yarn had become slightly fuzzy and that the sock had shrunk slightly...still a wearable sock. I threw it in my knitting basket to rest for awhile.

Five months later, I was ready to start the second sock. Once again, I had no written notes for the first sock and I had changed the original pattern.

I pulled the sock out. The colour was so different, I actually went through the stash to see if I had pulled the correct yarn. I had.

Perhaps I should have taken this experience as one of life's little lessons. I could have kept the one sock as a constant reminder of the care needed in washing hand knit socks. I could have turned it into a very nice sock puppet. I could have finally decided that my socks don't have to match. (Come on, let's not get too ridiculous).

No, I have taken a chance. Not quite as drastic as Sky diving or bungee jumping, but considering the valuable nature of time spent on knitting projects, it was still a risky proposition.
I knit the sock.

I'm now off to do battle with the washing machine. With luck, I will be able to recreate the conditions in which the first sock was washed.