on the needles

In knitting, an in life, sometimes, everything goes wrong. Your gauge may be perfect and even, your yarn consumption right on target, your cables flawless. But when you put the sweater on for the first time you stare in horror as the garment that was supposed to fall just above the hips hangs down to your knees.

Heavy yarn. That was my problem. The yarn was different than the pattern, which is generally no big deal, except that this time the pattern's yarn was unbelievable light and the yarn I chose was really, really dense. I washed, I blocked, I dried, I tried it on again. This time it hit my shins. I kid you not. So now we are felting. In the hopes that a little (lot) of shrinkage will render the sweater wearable.

That was the half spectacular knitting fail. Half because it might, might, be salvageable. The full on, throw in in with the pile-o-shame project, however, is a 100% total fail. I won't bore you with more particulars, let's just say that lace yarn and I don't mesh. 

But it's all good. Because the cure for a spectacular knitting fail (or two) is a no fail project. I've had my eye on the Strip Study Shawl for months. I've never been much of a shawl person but I kept coming back to stare at the finished projects of this beauty. And then when Briton scavenged a nice wool shawl from the magic basement for me which turned out to be perfect for chilly mornings, I moved Strip Study to the top of my to do list.

It's breezing by so far. This was yesterday morning's photo but some knitting while supervising math time combined with Monday Knitting Night has be twice as far along. I love it. I love that it can be whatever size it ends up and it will still be good. Small?. Whatever, it's a scarf then. Huge? Awesome, I need a huge shawl. Medium, great, right on target. As long as it ends with success, I'm happy. Then, once I'm finished and over my knitting fail hump, I can start on a pair of mittens with that handspun. Or maybe this shawl from the same designer as Stripe Study. Or this one. So pretty, it's hard to decide. I might have to make them all.

What's in your workbasket this week?