Tuesday, September 29, 2015

How to Feel Stupid In One Easy Step

I've been a knitter since 2002.

I have knitted a wide variety of items during the 13 years I've been knitting, including a sweater I knit from scratch based on a sample provided to me by my now husband.
I know I do not know everything there is about knitting. I am always learning and trying to challenge myself. But, I do think I've been around the block a few times with my knitting needles and have some knowledge and experience under my belt.

So what does one do to make themselves feel like they are a stupid knitter and know absolutely nothing about knitting?

It's really simple. One easy step. Just decide to knit the Pinoli Cardigan!

Oh my word!

Last night I sat down eager to cast on for this lovely little cardigan. At first glance this beauty looks like it will be a quick and simple knit. However, once you delve into actually knitting it, you realize very quickly just how not simple and not quick and not easy you initially thought it was going to be. Oh no.

Want to know just how quickly I realized this? Ummm row 2. Yup. That's right. Row 2.

The increase abbreviations, and the description of these abbreviations, had me at a total loss. I quickly looked up the abbreviations online to see if there was some new knitting lingo I was lacking. Nope. There isn't any new lingo. My vocabulary seems to be up to date.

My next step was to check with my knitting peeps on Ravelry who've knit this to see if there is any mention of these "new to me" abbreviations. Nope. Seems like everyone BUT me had no problem. Argh.

Last, but not least, I knew there was one more place I could check before I decided this cardigan was not going to be knit by me. My sister.

See, she is knitting it too and has about 4 weeks of work on it ahead of me. After a bazillion text messages back and forth, she pointed me in the right direction. My response was, why couldn't the pattern just say the increases are a "Right bar increase" and a "Left bar increase"? Hello!!!!

With my new found clarification, I immediately started knitting again. All was going well until I tried to complete row 3. My thought process went a little like this:

"Hmmmm. What now?" "Did I not do enough increases" "Let me count all 119 stitches again to make sure they are all there" "Seems like they are all there, but let me just start all over just in case I didn't do something correctly."

Yup, I ripped ripped ripped. Casted on again. Redid the increase row. Counted my stitches. Yup 119 present and accounted for and by this time it was past my bedtime so I decided to leave the row 3 knitting until today.

I had a little time before work this morning. I decided to pick my knitting back up and at least get the third row done. I am knit, knit, knitting along on row 3 and then BAM!  I get towards the end of the row and realize I still have a problem. It seems I am short two freaking stitches again. ARGH!

By this time I am really over knitting this cardigan. I am seeing my sweaterless body roaming through Rhinebeck envying all the other knitters who were smart enough to knit their sweaters way in advance of the fiber festival. I have lost all hope. I am depressed.

After sending yet another 911 text to my sister and having a 15 minute phone conversation with her, all has been revealed to me. I am not stupid after all. I do have knitting brains.

It appears there is a lot you have to figure out on your own with this pattern. It's not all crystal clear. You have to have your knitting thinking cap on for sure.

Fear not, my sister has set my knitting sail in the right direction and I believe I can knit the right course now.

We shall see! I will be back with another update soon!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Rhinebeck 2015

Two weeks and six days until Rhinebeck! What is a girl to do? Oh maybe knit a sweater?

My life has been consumed with other things lately and I procrastinated in starting my Rhinebeck sweater. As a matter of fact, yesterday it looked like this...
Yup that's right. Not. Even. Started.

I am not new to deadline knitting, but I think I am cutting this one really close. I have received the vote of confidence from my fellow loved ones, but am I really that fast of a knitter?

We shall see. My hope is that I am able to turn all nine of those skeins containing 220 yards of fiber-y goodness into a Pinoli Cardigan in time for our yarn-y adventure on the 16th!

Stay tuned!