It is Done and Re-Begun

I have frogged the Birthday Swirl Pullover, and even now have managed to restart is and am about 1/2 way through the swirl. I feel better doing it this time. The pattern is not so foreign to me, and I know where I had issues before. I am as convinced as ever that this was the right thing to do. Now, I have some good car knitting time coming up over the next several days, and plan to make some very good progress.

So Li, I say.... Go For It, make that cardigan into something you will either wear, or keep warm with. :)

Hopefully soon there will be pics. Sorry I am so bad about that kind of thing. Just so you don't think I am a total goob... here is a pic of Rick's 1st of 2 Beach Rib Socks. He likes them, and thinks I have found the perfect sock recipe for him. It is just that it is miles and miles of k3p1 rib - aaaaarrrrgggghhhh. But alas, the yarn is not a solid color and that was the deal.

A Bit of Peace

Have you ever noticed, the peace you feel, when you finally come to a decision about something that has been nagging at you for a while?? Well, I have come to that peace.

Both, the shawl - Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, AND The Swirl Pullover are being frogged.

There I said it in public. On Saturday at Yarn for Breakfast I was still hemming and hawwwing about it. Then, just before we all started packing up Jessica helped me with starting the frogging process on the shawl. See, she handed over her absolutely adorable little 2 month old to G-ma Vickie (who proceeded to put him to sleep) and held the shawl and unraveled while I wound the yarn onto the swift. That way I didn't have to watch all the stitches being undone. That also meant that when I got it home, It was already being frogged, and I had no idea where it was on the pattern, so finishing the job was not painful at all.

Next there is the Swirl Pullover.... that one is going to be tougher. Again, talking to Jessica and a number of the other knitters, and seeing what you all said here, I decided that no amount of blocking was going to make that sweater fit the way I would feel comfortable in it. So ..... I shall frog it also, and drop from a 4.5mm needle to a 4.0 needle and make the next size up. I really am quite set on this yarn for this project. It was proven to me over and over when I would look at the nearly finished sweater, and then try to convince myself that it would stretch.

I have not yet started that frogging project, as it was disheartening enough doing the first one. I figure I will give myself a couple days and then start that one. In the mean time I am trying to finish Rick's sock, to help keep my mind off things. :)

I am quite OK with it all now, since I know that I will eventually have the sweater I have been dreaming of, and a fabulous shawl as well. Plus, I will be that much better at following the directions for both of them, having already been there once now.

Made It Home

We are back in the Tidewater. Luckily off tomorrow, so hoping to take it easy on my back. All the many, many, many, hours of sitting, took its toll, and it (my back) went into spasm for 3days. Oh Joy. I did get a fair amount of knitting in... finished the left sleeve of my Swirl Pullover -

QUESTION TO MY KNITTING FRIENDS... is it ok to attach the sleeves and then block... or should the oddly shaped body be blocked - sew the shoulder seams and then attach the sleeves (since I would really like to attach them via 3needle bind off). I am not always good about following directions, but with this one I am not sure. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Worked on Rick's sock to the point where he needs to try it on, so I can see how soon to start the toe.

Worked on Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend lace shawl by Renee Leverington. Slight issue there - you see it was the first lace project I tried, and it has lanquished being worked on sporadically for at least 2, if not 3yrs - there are many glaring errors, and the most recent of which - (since now I really know what I am doing) is a bunch of missing stitches. I fear there is a very large Frog Pond in my future - much deeper than "nee deep" (as my DH would say). I am having difficulty bringing myself to frog it (I am on pattern 4 of 6), but at the same time the mistakes are so glaring.... Maybe this week. Then I will restart it, and it will go much more smoothly, and quickly.

Pictures to follow and tales of vacation adventures (in our world there are always 'adventures')