Erica’s Blog

 OK, I’ve probably violated almost ALL of the yarn-photographing tips in Zib’s latest post, but hey, I took this picture before I read her blog today. 

What is wrong with this picture?  There are only SIX skeins here, not the SEVEN I ordered.  The yarn arrived mid-party on Thursday, so I didn’t really get to examine it.  On Saturday, I took it out to roll around in it and revel in the wonder that is recycled sari silk.  I counted it once - six skeins.  I counted it again - six skeins.  Again and again - six skeins.  I searched the house to see if one skein had run away and hid  b/c the other six were picking on it.  Still six skeins.  I emailed the Wool Peddler yesterday about it, and I’m hoping they’ll hook me up with that seventh skein this week.  Not that the Gioia will be finished correctly any time soon.  Not that my own personal weirdness will allow me to knit two items in a row for myself….

 Sigh.  Did you ever have a pattern you really wanted to knit that just somehow didn’t jive with the way your particularly warped brain worked?  This is Gioia.  The pattern is classified as easy.  When I read it over, it looked easy.  Others have made her easily and quickly.  I’ve heard no complaints about the pattern, so the issue is not with the pattern.  I have made other things that are harder.  I even got help from Zib, the designer, and it sounded easy.  Something, however, is not working.  So, I am convinced that there’s just something different about the way my brain processes information. 

It’s not the Cabernet, really.  I very, very carefully, one stitch at a time unknit the whole big section of the right side that I did after having a glass of Cab at dinner.  I made a vow never to knit after having had a rare glass of wine at dinner.  The rest of it was knit w/o being under the influence of anything other than my own, personal insanity. 

I think the left side is working.  The right side is clearly wrong, though.  Look how small it is!  I think I somehow decreased one stitch every row instead of every right-side row or something.  Even after blocking, there’s no way on God’s green earth that right side is going to be 30 inches tall.  Sigh.

I set this aside and did NO knitting for two days.  Perhaps I’m ready to pick it up again.  New year, new perspective on it?  Oh, and I had so wanted to wear this to church yesterday with my white shirt and my new, smaller jeans.  Maybe next week.