I was sooooo happy with the way that Mom's scarf turned out and really pleased that something that is fairly easy, turns out so well, and looks so complicated. Ok, so that's a bit of the ego, but I feel that way about knitting cables, too. For me, it's never been difficult to knit cables or lace, but non-knitters think it's a whole lot of work. It's not brain surgery, or rocket science. If the pattern is written correctly, I can generally get it to work. And I like that. There are plenty of doctors and engineers and technical people out there to do the things I can't so I don't have to. But it's fun to know that I can do somethings that others either can't or won't and with a few twists and turns, or yo's or sk2p's it's going to look great. Add to that a quick wash and block...and waaa-laaa, it looks even better! (And at the same time reminds us that knitting with different fibers than you generally use, feels really good to your hands!)
So....once you're sitting back, admiring what you've already done, feeling pretty smug with yourself, learn another lesson from me. Karma, it's going to come back for a visit.
Let's start this little story from the beginning. And since I'm pretty sure the 'yet to be recipient' doesn't read this, I can tell you all the 'twisted' details.
6 months or so ago, I started looking for the 'correct' colors to knit a beanie for the boyfriend for one of my daughters. One would think that with all my yarn in my stash, I could just open a bin and it would be there waiting for needles. Ah. Not so. One would ALSO think that yarn companies should keep 'on the books' the original crayola 8 colors in their basic color lines. Ah. Not so either, apparently.
Now, I have been looking not only for a wool type in these same colors, but also in a hemp yarn. The 'theme' for this search is the Rastafarian Movement. What better way to knit up 'Rasta' themed items, than to use hemp yarn? [Do some reading on the subject matter, especially if you're a 'green' kind of person! Then, write to your Congressman/woman] ANY way....
Over the past 6 months I have searched through a gazillion nooks and crannies for these 4 colors. For the same weight, in the same brand, in stock all at the same time. Black, red, yellow and green. Shouldn't be a difficult search. Right? Wrong. I can find 2 or 3 in the same brand, but not 4. Or not available at the same time from a single store. Paton's has Black and Red. Lion Wool had the yellow. No one that I could find had the right color green.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I started looking online for a single source. Same trouble I kept coming up with, until someone on one of the yahoo groups mentioned Webs. Not ONLY did they have get this...ALL 4 Colors in Cascade 220...but they were in stock, and could ship with more than enough time for me to knit the hat.
Interject a side note here. I generally don't knit on purpose for Christmas gifts. I don't plan it that way. I'm just not organized for the number of gifts that I'd like to make for people. Many years ago, I started in March knitting sweaters for a whole group of nieces and nephews for their gifts. I think I finished about 2 days before Christmas. It turned out to be a bit of a disaster, yadda yadda yadda...So I decided then and there...to knit for those who appreciate and not put the stress of a time table and just send it on it's way. My own niece would be the perfect example. Her birthday is in September and for the past few years as I come up with ideas that she would like, I intend to get them finished over the summer in hopes that I could mail them in time for her birthday but end up being lucky enough to get things to her before the end of the year.
This year, I'm really proud of myself. Not only did I get Mom and Dad's gifts wrapped and shipped prior to March or June (soooooooooooo many gifts have been handed to them in those months, I kid you not.) But, I was also able to send along some baking for them! I was on a roll. I didn't send the scarf with the box, but knowing that it would be light weight and small to ship, I knew it could go separately and still make it on time. So, click, click, click. I worked away....I had also found a hat pattern (the mushroom hat) that was easy enough to make a hat, or three for my Dad and brothers to slip into the box just in time for Christmas giving. And I had had the colors in my stash that I wanted to use. So, I decided that a little knitting for Christmas wouldn't hurt this year. They went so fast, that I thought I'd add a hat, or two for my son. Then...feeling pretty sure of myself, I decided to add hats for all three of my daughters' boyfriends. Oh boy! Smug. I mean, we were on a roll, and things were happening fast. And really very well.
This is all that was left over of the skein of Plymouth Ecco Cashmere that I used for the scarf. I was really 'feeling my oats' as they say. Even with a couple of days off from knitting on the scarf, as I worked on the hats, it still got done. And then blocked. And then photographed. And then blogged. Boy, the britches were getting big now!
In between time, the online ordering came into place. Point, click...point click..ship, ship, ship....the holidays were falling into place without a whole lot of trying to find a parking place, grumpy salespeople, or 'sorry I just sold the last one a few moments ago'. [can you see where this is going?] Smooth as a baby's behind. Well, sorta. One item was ordered the first week in November, and has been repeatedly been delayed over and over again. Other items were procured in it's place, and if it ever shows up, well, that's OK, there's always other gift giving opportunities to use it for. A second one was ordered as 'in stock' that then went to 'delayed' for 2 weeks, then moved into the 'sold out' category. I had been searching for that one since September. However, another has been found and with the 'gift' of pay 'through the nose' amounts, it should be here by Wednesday. Whew. Love the 'free shipping' many companies were giving this year! The final 'saved by the seat of my pants' happened just last night. While out and about shopping, I'd been trying to order online one of the pastry boards for pies and cookie baking. My computer had frozen up and I wasn't sure the order had gone through. I figured I'd give it over night before trying to call and see if it made it through when I walked into a store and bingo-there it was for about 1/2 the cost!
In between time, the online ordering came into place. Point, click...point click..ship, ship, ship....the holidays were falling into place without a whole lot of trying to find a parking place, grumpy salespeople, or 'sorry I just sold the last one a few moments ago'. [can you see where this is going?] Smooth as a baby's behind. Well, sorta. One item was ordered the first week in November, and has been repeatedly been delayed over and over again. Other items were procured in it's place, and if it ever shows up, well, that's OK, there's always other gift giving opportunities to use it for. A second one was ordered as 'in stock' that then went to 'delayed' for 2 weeks, then moved into the 'sold out' category. I had been searching for that one since September. However, another has been found and with the 'gift' of pay 'through the nose' amounts, it should be here by Wednesday. Whew. Love the 'free shipping' many companies were giving this year! The final 'saved by the seat of my pants' happened just last night. While out and about shopping, I'd been trying to order online one of the pastry boards for pies and cookie baking. My computer had frozen up and I wasn't sure the order had gone through. I figured I'd give it over night before trying to call and see if it made it through when I walked into a store and bingo-there it was for about 1/2 the cost!
Oh, ya. Did the happy dance all the way home last night! No shipping costs, no delays, no worries. Even started making plans to have a particular baker's helper come over on Wednesday to help me christen the board. Roll, baby...we were on it. All over it. Like flour in my kitchen after my babies had helped with the baking years ago. alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll over it!
And smug.
Smug will kill you.
Turned on the computer last night to hear the Webs order has been delayed until December 29th. This after finishing all the other hats. Meaning the colors for the one hat that I have been TRYING to knit since June, will not make it on time for Christmas. The other 8 have been completed, washed, blocked and wrapped. Karma, I tell you!
As I was getting to the Post Office to return a box this afternoon, I got some news via text message that threw me off my game. It's not anything that I can do a thing about, and it's a heart breaker, and I just didn't want to deal with it. So with it being 80*F outside, and totally not feeling like Christmas (no snow and slush and ice), I thought I'd run a few errands and dash into the LYS to pick up some yarn for another gifting project that didn't have a deadline. Imagine my reaction to walking through the front door of the store and smack dab in the center of the first display on the counter was THE PERFECT GREEN COLOR in Lamb's Pride! Oh baby! Then, the red, the yellow..the black! OH man! I was about ready to have a Carlton dance moment when I then went to look in the hemp section and check out what I was able to find:
And smug.
Smug will kill you.
Turned on the computer last night to hear the Webs order has been delayed until December 29th. This after finishing all the other hats. Meaning the colors for the one hat that I have been TRYING to knit since June, will not make it on time for Christmas. The other 8 have been completed, washed, blocked and wrapped. Karma, I tell you!
As I was getting to the Post Office to return a box this afternoon, I got some news via text message that threw me off my game. It's not anything that I can do a thing about, and it's a heart breaker, and I just didn't want to deal with it. So with it being 80*F outside, and totally not feeling like Christmas (no snow and slush and ice), I thought I'd run a few errands and dash into the LYS to pick up some yarn for another gifting project that didn't have a deadline. Imagine my reaction to walking through the front door of the store and smack dab in the center of the first display on the counter was THE PERFECT GREEN COLOR in Lamb's Pride! Oh baby! Then, the red, the yellow..the black! OH man! I was about ready to have a Carlton dance moment when I then went to look in the hemp section and check out what I was able to find:
Holy cow! I was able to reset my thinking motors and my feet were not sitting still. They wanted to 'bust a move' and my fingers were itching to snap while the Carlton Dance was hopping around my head! 6 Months. 4 single colors. 2 different types of fibers. All in 1 bag, card swiped and out the door! Prayers for the text messages having been said, and prayers of blessings while I drove home with my treasures! We were going to knit and knit fast and then wrap, wrap, wrap and really get down to some Christmas decorating around this house.
My daughter was off to work and my son went to a basketball game, compliments of his friend. I grabbed the yarn and needles and plopped my behind into the chair for some long winter knitting. OK, so it was 80*F, the doors and windows were wide opened, the TV was on but we were on a roll! Me, and the needles. Oh baby! We had outsmarted the 'back ordered' gremlins! We had spit into the wind. We had laughed at deadlines. We had figured it out. Yarn, in lap. Needles in hands.
My daughter was off to work and my son went to a basketball game, compliments of his friend. I grabbed the yarn and needles and plopped my behind into the chair for some long winter knitting. OK, so it was 80*F, the doors and windows were wide opened, the TV was on but we were on a roll! Me, and the needles. Oh baby! We had outsmarted the 'back ordered' gremlins! We had spit into the wind. We had laughed at deadlines. We had figured it out. Yarn, in lap. Needles in hands.
Karma hit.
Can you see it? Look closer. Can you figure what went wrong? Look again. It's there..staring me right in the face. Only as I took the pictures prior to sitting in the chair I never noticed it. What, you can't see it? Look once more. It's there....
Worsted,
Worsted,
Worsted...
Knitters, you know that feeling, don'tcha?
Air out of the tires, balloon popped, straight back to ground zero, karma smacking you right between the eyes.
Yep, some days just end up like that.
Worsted, worsted, worsted...bulky.
