Fail better

Some long time ago glittrgirl or skitten posted a favored and favorite quote from Samuel Beckett, playwright and novelist. As I am an avowed Beckett fanatic, I cheered the exellent blog post and promptly turned the quote into a document to tape on the door.

Given my last two posts, I thought you should see what I see today and everyday.

Ever tried. Ever failed.

No matter. Try again.

Fail again. Fail better.

-- Samuel Beckett
Worstward Ho.

Lessons From Failure

1. If you really think you might not have enough yarn, you might be right.

2. If you swatch, you can risk believing your swatch.

3. Save the swatch to check later.

3. Wash the swatch so you won't be tempted simply to anticipate possible changes.

4. Note: If it fits the dress form that's much smaller than you, heed the message.

5. Move the yarn to other purposes.

6. Think about Not Knitting for a little bit.

7. Do something else.


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I'm going to frog this. I already gave away a sweater that didn't fit. I'll repurpose some of the yarn.

Marcy, would you like three skeins of the light grey?

Not Afraid to Fail

I've cast on twice for Brigitta. I'm using some indulgent yarn from The Fibre Company - Pemaquid - I picked up from a sale basket. No surprise it's from Maine. Sounds very Maine. Since there hadn't been enough of the black heather (Starry Night, the name of the colorway)in the sale bin, I picked up what was on had of the lighter grey heather (Granite, that one).

So I'm launching into a very fast knit of a sweater. It may be abominable. Or I may not have enough yarn. But I've been agonizing for a few days here about what to knit. It's not matching all the other agonizing (what work projects for next year, blah blah), so I needed to step out and just DO.

As I said, I've cast on twice. I made a hasty swatch, figured out a hasty gauge, ripped it out and cast on. The garment would be the real swatch. After about 4 inches up from the hem of the garment (front and back in one), I realized my gauge expectations were flawed. I've started over. This is the type of yarn that blooms and grows at blocking.

I know I'd much rather have had this sweater all in one color, but I haven't minded the idea of the monochromatic contrast, so here goes.



As a bonus challenge, the front bands are meant to be knit as the garment is knit. The "intarsia? not after that last ill-fated attempt" challenge is at least a mild one.

You know, it's just a sweater. I bought the yarn because I liked it - a blend of alpaca, merino, and soy, of all things. I wear black all the time. The contrast may be be a good thing. It'll leave fuzz, but I always have fuzz or lint or cat hair. It's the nature of my job, my surroundings, and my housekeeping.

It'll work or it won't, but I'm going to give it a go. Hopefully there's enough to eke out a sweater.

Done. Now what?

Baby Blanket - Anna Bell's Old Shale Baby Blanket
(An old standard, but she wrote up the proportions so I didn't have to think too hard.)


The needles: 7 US / 4.5 mm
The yarn: mercerized cotton, 4 skeins
The length: 63 cycles of the 4 row repeat
The leftovers:


I'm pleased.





It's been washed and is on the last bit of drying. Packaging and shipping are all that's left.

Continuing with the aunt socks, as I don't have a lot of time this week to figure out what to cast on. I keep THINKING about what to knit next. (Frankly, that's what kept me going during the last stretch of baby blanket.) Can't decide, though, much less swatch and feel like I'm thinking clearly. I have so much other stuff going right now, though, that swatching feels like a crazy indulgent lawbreaking activity. (I need less stress and more knitting.)

Kicking up some serious dust

Absent chez blog, frenzied in the work house.....

Finished the last phase of a MAJOR work project this week. We're in production now. PHEW.

Dust can settle.
Done and dusted.
No biting of the dust, fortunately.

Now. Where'd I put the knitting?

Socks

One of the yarns in the middle of yesterday's post is Lorna's Laces sock yarn in Blue Jeans. I'm back to having a pair of socks on the needles. These socks are for an aunt. (I know, I'm due for a project for myself, but while I'm thinking about that project, time for socks.)



I rather enjoy this simple 3-plus-1 rib pattern.

Elizabeth Said Use Pictures

Elizabeth said she saves pictures for occasions where blog life needs a little poke. I've been too long away. Can't and shouldn't spare the time to blog much today. You can click them to make them bigger. I'm posting hastily.

However, I can admit that I'm thinking about yarn.

How'd this happen?

I have very little on the needles.

I'm making Anna Bell's Old Shale Baby Blanket for a gift. This is an active project.

I've moved the Malabrigo Buenos Aires pattern cardigan into gift land - my mother requested a sweater, first time ever, and this was exactly what she was describing. She's even seen the sweater in progress and approves of the colors for her wardrobe.
I need to revisit the condition of this UFO and see what I need to do next. It could move into active project land soon. We're not holding our breath for completion here. Fall could be fine.

I've two other UFO sweaters in what Elizabeth of Sable calls hibernation.

I've wound up yarn for a pair of socks for an aunt I have two aunts on the sock list now, which is fun. Really. I'm not under pressure. One is always cold, and the other lives way the heck up north, where weather is almost always cold.

Seriously, though, the last 12 items I made were gifts.
How'd that happen? TWELVE.

I'm due for a knit for myself.
Trouble is, I can't think what it should be.

Swatched instead of knitting the blanket last night.
Moved some yarn around, since I needed to find the small computer bag I had in a bin behind the yarn bins. This because I bought myself a very small computer.

Seriously. First computer purchase EVER.
How'd THAT happen?

Laws of averages

This will be much like bringing an umbrella when it doesn't rain and forgetting the umbrella to find it pours. Odds are good, you know, that it won't snow any more up north, now that the gloves will be on their way their rightful new owner.

Then again, we are talking about Northern Minnesota.
Snow into April is still par for the course.



Fingerless gloves.
Merlot Heather in Cascade 220
Yellow Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge.
Size 5 needles.

Insert note about the color being wrong.
More maroon, more gold, less light.

Fuzzy picture. Another average.

At last, I can attach the fringe!

The knitting has been done for awhile.

I just needed a break so I could do the fringe and not worry about the interruptions that come screeching in when you have to run here, do that, get that done, get more done, when am I going to get THAT done, and the rampant craziness in a schedule that makes you say argh!

Wait.
Where was I going with this?



Right.
Montego Bay Scarf, pattern by Amy Singer.
I get to finish it now.
Hurrah for breaks.

I really need a spring break.

4 more days.... I'm definitely counting down the days until break.
Definitely need the break FROM.

Definitely looking forward for the break TO this:



Definitely spring knitting!

This Photo Shoot is So Over

Even if the sewing isn't done, thought I'd catch a photo. Otherwise, I'll get them sewn and packaged and sent and once again, oops no photo....



Enter one Mr. Jones.



Seems I needed photo styling improvements.



Seems the resident Mr. Jones has heard about the local theatrical Mr. Jones and aspires to be a critic as well.



Seams undone on the flaps? Only half of the ends woven in?
Tacky.

(Still, they're done now and they'll head north ASAP.)
Broadstreet Mittens
Jawoll Color plus a little leftover red Lanett

Cold Proof

Proof there is knitting:

Today's March IS cold enough for a hat. Maybe I can get this hat done soon enough to send it to the cousin who lives much, much further north.

Then he can still wear it while it is cold enough for a hat.

Signs of Spring

Clocks sprung ahead, with much cursing.

Heavy rains cleaned my car, but the puddles and the potholes? Spare me having to use the spare, please.

I am finishing my holiday request knitting this month, come hell and high waters.

Mitts are done for the nephew, the next hat is underway, and then one last pair of fingerless gloves for an uncle. (Because you know it's spring if you're finishing the winter accessories.....)

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Choppy list, I know, but I felt like I needed one minute to show signs of life.

Thanks for the kind words in light of my bad adventures with food. Happy to say all is well now.

Helpful Kitchen Tip - OR - A Tale of Two Egg Cartons

Good eggs sink in cold tap water.

Bad eggs float in cold tap water.

Eggs from one carton were good.

Eggs from another carton were bad.

Guess which carton should not have been around at all.

Guess from which carton I'd been cooking. And eating.


Miserable long weekend. Thought I had flu.
Tested the eggs once I started to piece together the puzzle.
Urp.

Some day soon, knitting will return to the blog. I did a little knitting this weekend, as I tried to gather myself back into a human being.

Good night. I'm overdue for my nightly cup of tea. Home I go.

How to Schedule a Knitting Break

I googled the How-To language above on an impulse that might better have been used doing something else.

Not surprisingly, there are blog or journal notes from people taking a break FROM their currently frustrating knitting projects.

There are discussions of taking a break for wellness in a long stretch of otherwise uninterrupted knitting.

Here and there are a few sightings of other creative work done while knitting activity was on hiatus.

A few photos with feet up or tasty treats readily at hand speak to a nice holiday from everything, with knitting as the honored guest at the party.

Me, I need something of a lesson:
HOW can I GET the KNITTING back INTO my SCHEDULE ?!?!

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Why yes, I would love a little cheese with my whine.
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Meanwhile, everything's fine here.
Pardon me if I indulge in this hasty dramaqueen moment.
I'm simply announcing to myself that my hyper-productive schedule has swung its pendulum too far from the knitting zone. I may have to make myself close the door and knit for a half hour when it's supposed to be suppertime.

Sometimes it helps to say it out loud.
It also helps to have a piece of chocolate.

The sun is shining, and I have a cup of coffee.

Hope your morning is as kind.

It is fair to say that I often measure the quality of time by how productive it was. While I'm happy to say that my month away from the blog has been quite productive, I'm also delighted to out myself by saying that some of it was delightfully unproductive.

I am okay with this.

I also knit several things which escaped photographic archiving. This too I find to be quite alright.

This is both a quiet and a noisy week. I've come to the office daily. The first days were whirlwinds of welcome home and "eek! I've been waiting for you - I have a problem." This morning is blissfully quiet.

I'll be back with knitting content and other word noise. Today looks to be very productive; but first, some quiet blog reading and the rest of my coffee.

Happy Merry!

Will be absent for about a month. Traveling with students. Packing some knitting.

Have a happy and safe New Year!

Holiday thank you gift DONE

Holiday knitted gift #3 has been completed! This is a thank you gift for a colleague and friend who bailed me out one hot summer day when I had a shopping meltdown for a formal occasion.

Meanwhile, nothing like a little low-engagement clapotis knitting in a very pretty Manos Silky Wool to make one happy. Zipped this out in a week. A Week! Really. Finally set it out to block yesterday.

I changed nothing in my photo taking saving or posting, but for whatever reason, the last month's photos have been monster sized and won't conform nicely to the Blogger rules like previous ones have done (ie. large or medium). Therefore I give up and post the thumbnails. Click as needed.










Promptly packaged it up and sent it off via the delivery service of her kind spouse, also a colleague.

Things need to be simpler.

I can't decide which picture I like. One exposure better reflects the actual colors.
However, on my computer that one seems really too dark. This next one was taken with a different exposure. Neither photo is brilliant.


Yarn is Dream in Color Classy.
Color is Black Parade.
Pattern is Morningside Neckwarmer (Jared Flood's pattern)
Made this neckwarmer for an assistant when I had a set of bus trips - 8 hours at a crack - along with a good start on another gift. (That one's for another post.)

So naturally, when my brain can just about handle knitting a tube at best, I get myself painted into a corner wherein I have to make THREE hats by noon tomorrow.

I'm sewing them, at least.

STILL.

One more week and then the craziness I create will calm down.
I better go home. I have an a late night and a full morning of creative improvising ahead.