Holy Crap.
Can we say NO PROGRESS? I’ve wasted the past two nights trying to get started on Birch, only to totally rip the thing out and start over, TWICE. The first time I tried it on my denise interchangeable needles, which I could see fairly quickly, wasn’t going to work. The fine quality of KSH found every little nook and cranny it could to get stuck in these needles. It was distracting enough for me to not be able to follow where I was in the pattern. That was rip back #1.
Then I tried it on my good old hand-me-down aluminum 8 straights. They’re about 14″ long. Nowhere on that pattern does it say you have to knit on circulars, so what the heck, I gave it a go. Might have worked out too, if the points were a little bit sharper to get under those stitches, and if I weren’t so used to working on teeny tiny short needles. . .the long length was so awkward that it was yet another distraction. This time I got to row 5 I think before messing up beyond the hope of “It’ll get lost in the pattern!” and ripped it back.
I’ve read the comments on Fig and Plum’s posts when she was having troubles starting out on Birch. (Which, btw, that such a talented knitter also had issues with this, makes me feel immeasurably better) Then the hunt was on. Since I’ve wasted I don’t even know how much yarn, trying to get this started, (I could rip everything back up until the cast on row. Then the yarn REFUSED to come out of it’s little knots and loops. I tried everything, but in the end, just ended up lopping it off.) I had to find a place that had suitable needles, and another ball of KSH in the right color (What’s a dye lot?) (I’m kidding, I know what they are, but at this point, I couldn’t care less about trying to match dye lots on a lace shawl).
I was getting pretty frustrated, and had stayed up later than I had planned, when I finally found a place that had both. I ordered another ball, and some Addi Naturas. I also ordered some Stitch Marker rings, in hopes of helping me keep track of where I am in the pattern. (That was the hardest part for me, and boy did it come as a surprise!) And because I’m an addict, I bought a skein of Lorna’s Laces in Charcoal (edit: I just realized that I’d need two skeins to make a pair of socks, and called to add another to the order, and they said it’s going out today, since they’re in Nevada), so two skeins of Lorna’s Laces in Charcoal to finally make Rob a pair of socks.
BTW, I ordered from Jimmy Beans Wool, and I’m linking them, because they are so awesome.
It’s Wednesday. The roomate is STILL not out yet. Though Rob tells me that he was here this morning (first time since Sunday) to pick up some more stuff. I had a convo this morning with Bay about how I should just man up (ha ha) and tell him that if his stuff isn’t gone by Friday, it will be. I kind of lost my steam after Rob told me that he picked up some stuff today though. I really hate confrontations (call me chicken) and tend to lean towards “well at least. . .” :[
Work is ok. I get so bored during the day even when I have stuff to do sometimes. It’s not the worst job I’ve ever had, but I still wake up in the morning wishing I could sleep in. That’s probably not ever going to go away. :[