Friday 25 September 2009

Aw (please feel free to insert your own rude word here)

Do you ever get the feeling that some projects are just a little bit jinxed? I am beginning to wonder if I should re-title the 'Argyle Lace Hat' referred to in this post to the 'Ill Fated Hat'?

Although I realise that I should not write in this way about this gift because I believe that the recipient is very sensitive about this type of thing and takes it very seriously. If she ever caught wind of the fact that I feel this way about her long overdue present? It is very unlikely to grace her head when it is finished.

Mind you, when you consider that her head is about two inches smaller in diameter than mine and right now, it looks like this on me:

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I cannot ever see her wearing it anyway.

Bother, bother, botheration.

Right now, I should be 3 rows away from the cast off. This blooming thing should almost be ready for me to jab a fork triumphantly into its well-cooked rump. I was feeling quite good about finishing it as I have not enjoyed working this hat very much (not the pattern's fault).

So, as far as I was concerned, the end was in sight, the project was almost over and my promise to make a hat was almost fulfilled. I even pulled some different yarn from a shelf earlier thinking through something that I want to make for someone quite special - except, I cannot do that yet now. I feel thwarted.

For, as you can see for yourselves in the picture above, I have clearly made a mistake.

It is one of those big-fat-obvious-clanging-right-there-in-front-of-your-face mistakes that I managed not to see. For an entire 18 rounds (despite reading and following the same flipping sentence 9 times). Yep.

It seems that an '*' just in front of a SSK instruction on the crown was in my blind spot. As a result, I have about 78 stitches on my needles when I should have about 28. Plus the overall size of the hat is closer to a potato sack than a hat.

Nope, there is no excuse for my error. Yes, I did wonder why I was running high on stitches and dangerously low on yarn when I sat down today to make a concerted effort to finish this fluffy pink marshmallow and get it off my conscience. Grump - talk about more haste, less speed.

Okay, I need to take back about this much:

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It's taken me 16th August - date to do this crown. Slow, I know. It is at times like this that I wish that I put in a few lifelines. Such a simple thing to do. However, I did not and I am not confident that I could thread one accurately now.

I dare not rip without one, so I guess that I will have to tink - it is going to be a slow process. I hate undoing work as it feels like I am also undoing all those little bits of life that I set aside to work on my knitting in the first place.

Oh Bah Humbug. Okay, hat vent off my chest - I am off to unknit painfully on circular needles.

PS: in other news: apple tree fruit either dispersed or processed and kitchen reno is ongoing (pictures of both to follow when I can catch a proper breather).

On Sunday we switch off the water supply to the kitchen and tackle 'the other side'. The water will be switched back on (assuming no hiccups and that we work to plan) when the plumber comes back to finish off on Tuesday 6th October.

Yes, that is 10 days without running water, sink or much work top in the kitchen.
Yes, Tuesday 6th October is the Tuesday before Canadian Thanksgiving.

So yes, if the project slips we will be without a kitchen over the Thanksgiving weekend. Hmm, do you think that the Fella's family will mind prepackaged picnic finger food on disposable plates?!

2 comments:

Robynn said...

Let me rephrase that for you. "Do you think Fella's family will mind hosting Thanksgiving instead of us?"

A much better question.

Gabrielle said...

I wish that it were that simple!

The Fella's mother is sprightly and still works in a shop everyday, but she is about 80 years old and I do not think that she is set up at home to cope with, or cater for, an invasion of visitors. Apparently the Fella's brother and wife do not cook.

So in the year that I have been here, we have hosted all of the family meals for key annual celebrations (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, everyone's birthdays and just because occasions e.g. the Kid is here). Sometimes the Fella's mother will sponsor a joint of meat and occasionally, his brother will pick up a cake for dessert.

There have been no return invitations over the past year and I doubt that there will ever be any - our house is the confirmed HQ for family events.

It is one of the reasons that I have campaigned so hard for a dishwasher and we are doing the kitchen reno.

A family meal can result in a lot of dishes - sometimes it can take us a couple of evenings to deal with them all.