Quickie Headband Project

23 Aug 2008: So I'm working along (for months now) on my Teal Cardigan and Summer Sampler stole projects, and I suddenly realize that I'm craving the "Yeah! - I finished it!!!" feeling. Looking for a quick fix, I received inspiration from Halfmännchen's blog. A cabled headband with shaped cables - a technique I've never done. (I used Dawn Brocco's book Curvaceous Cables Collection.) So I grabbed the nearest half-used ball of yarn and began practicing the pattern a bit last evening. Note: Cables are much easier to work when you use wooden needles - the stitches don't slide off the needles while you work the cable needle! I started the headband this morning and was finished after about 4 hours. A nice quick project!

Here's the headband by itself:


... and on my favorite model:


Till next time!

Curse broken!

18 Aug 2008: I think I got my groove back - I was able to finish patterns 10 and 11 of the Summer Sampler stole in quick succession. Presently, the stole is about 2 m long (about 2.2 yards) which is rather long, but exactly what I want, because I plan to take it to work to wrap around my shoulders and neck. My cubicle is directly underneath an air register and I always have some kind of cool or cold draft blowing at me. This will be perfect. Can't wait for the last pattern and then the border.

Pattern 11

Pattern 10

And this is the pattern that took over 2 weeks' time, because I kept making stupid mistakes:

Pattern 9

Time flies when you are having fun - not so much when you have to tink back ... has anyone read The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann? It's a most excellent book. One of its main leitmotifs is a variation of the old legend of the magic mountain. You enter it and spend what seems like a short time inside. But once you leave (if you find the way out that is!) you realize that a long time has passed. The perception of time is very elastic. If your days seem short, because they are taken up with a lot of activities (if you are very conscious of what you are doing, iow), and you look back at that general time frame, it will appear long (because so much has happened). Conversely, if your days seem long, because you either do the same things over and over again or have nothing to do (iow if you are bored or don't pay attention), then looking back at that time period, it will seem like a very short time overall. You would be able to sum it up in a few words. It's a fascinating subject.

Cursed Knitting, The Mummy III

Knitting News:

Have you ever had days when nothing worked? I’ve had over a week of those now. I finished the first repeat of Pattern 9 of the Summer Sampler stole without problems and ever since things go haywire whenever I touch it. I would knit a row - be off one stitch – fix it, knit another row – ok - knit the next row – be off two stitches – tink back to where the mistake was – fix it – knit the row again – be off one stitch again – fix that – finish the row – knit 2 more rows and discover that somehow I shifted the pattern 1 stitch to the left – etc. etc. Weirdly enough I make the mistakes not on the main pattern rows, but on the easy in-betweener rows.

2 days ago, after about 2 hours of this I decided that somehow this pattern as it is now on my needles must be cursed, so I ripped all the way back to my spacer lifeline, so I would have a clean, fresh start for the whole pattern. Wish me luck! I am actually scared to touch it right now!!

Well, at least I still seem to be capable of knitting ribs - my Something Teal cardigan is progressing again - only a few million rows of ribbing to go.

Fleegle is undergoing some serious medical treatment – I hope everything will turn out the way it is hoped.

Movies seen:

The Mummy III – It could have been a lot better, but the story is weak. The Chinese actors were much more convincing than the rest. This time the "lesser Indiana Jones" is trying to prevent the sort-of resurrected Dragon Emperor Han from getting his greedy little fingers on the waters of life in Shangri-La which would make him immortal - and, of course, he then would want to rule the world. I loved Michelle Yeoh in the role of the witch. She is really good! I wish the story were better!