*Please excuse this knitting interruption of the recitation of my travel adventures. Pretty pictures of foreign locales will return shortly.*
You read the title right, I said Stynx, not Styx. Interpret that silly double entendre any way you wish. Me, I'm just a bit frustrated with myself on this one. It's amazing what one silly misstep can do on a simple project.
You see, I did knit while I was traveling. Less than I expected as I was overcome by a desire to read -- Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate and a biography of Gaudi. Then there was that nasty work stuff. Even with these distractions you'd think I'd get a respectable amount of knitting done, right? Besides intercontinental flights, there were all those little commuter hops -- France to Italy to Spain to Germany.**
It was a lot, but not anymore. My primary project for the trip was River from Rowan #38, you know, one of my many knit along projects.
I have to say, this project has been like revisiting Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Size 11 needles? Too big and too awkward.
Size 10? Improved knitting experience, but the yarn overs were still too big.
Size 7, after reading Jody's entry about her experience with starting River? Just right. Especially using Knitpicks Shimmer this was better; the smooth yarn needs a tighter gauge than the kid silk haze.
By the time I returned I had finished 11 repeats. Using the smaller needles I had already resigned myself to having to do more than the specified number of repeats, but that's ok. The pattern is easily memorized and there are only 62 stitches per row.
But then the axe fell. I discovered that, somewhere over the Atlantic, while pondering trivial work issues, I had shifted the pattern over due to miscounting. One repeat was too big and the next too small.
To make matters worse, I plowed on through four additional repeats, though I knew something wasn't quite right, before I was motivated to investigate why my counting was off. Nothing for it but to rip, and so River was (is) in time out for a few days.
I used the free time to finish my Clapotis #2. (What, Gromit actually finished a project? Yep, and the ends are sewn in and everything!)
Here she is. She is far more luscious in person, but it is getting darker in the morning so this is all I have!
Started: August 20 (I only know because I cast on during the drive to Maine)
Finished: September 21
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb, 3 ++ skeins, believe me it is a truly sensuous experience to work with this stuff. I'm a loose knitter, so I probably used more than most people would for this project. I'm glad I had read about the need for additional yarn in other blogs and laid some in before I started. The extra yarn, will become one of these.
I'm going to post more knitterly things this evening (SPs and other fun things). Tomorrow it'll be Barcelona photos, and then I'm off to Stitches East for the weekend where I'll meet up with some knitting friends and acquaintances. And shop, who am I kidding?
**Sounds like I'm an aspiring jet setter, doesn't it. Don't be fooled. It was just like flying from Philly to Syracuse to Detroit to Des Moines. Same small planes, same bleary eyed, weary business people, same crummy snacks and airport delays. Because of the elimination of border restrictions within the EU I don't even have any cool passport stamps to show for my exhaustion.
Oh no, that's too bad about River. I am knitting it too, and know just how easy it is to get off track!
Posted by: Diana | September 22, 2005 at 05:13 PM
Bummer about the River. Clap looks great though. The colors are beautiful. I love Lorna's. Is that the tuscany colorway?
Posted by: Michelle | September 22, 2005 at 06:57 PM
Sorry to hear about your knitting snafus but if it makes you feel any better, the picture of the clapotis has inspired me.
I am in my own clapotis hell. But your pic just gave me the fire I needed to get crackin'!
Posted by: Bonnie | September 22, 2005 at 09:51 PM
Sorry to hear about River's mishap. These things happen to me all the time too. But your Clapotis is beautiful. Have fun at Stitches East.
Posted by: erin | September 23, 2005 at 05:59 AM
I love Lion & Lamb! I used it to make Dorothy Siemens' Kaleidoscope and it was just yummy. Your Clapotis is absolutely beauteous!
Posted by: Carol | September 23, 2005 at 10:20 AM
Gromit is such a lovely knitter. He really does you proud.
Posted by: Stephanie VW | September 25, 2005 at 08:13 AM
That settles it - I really must get some lion and lamb...clapotee looks(and looked) great...in person!
sorry about river. it'll all work out!
Posted by: heather | September 27, 2005 at 01:53 PM
The clapotis is lovely, but I have to tell you that I am so terribly dismayed that you don't get passport stamps anymore! How horrible! Last time I was in the "EU" was in 2000 in Italy and Germany, got stamps on both borders... crumbs. All that knitting and no stamps to show.
The shawl is lovely. Well worth a few stamps of its own.
Posted by: Chela Jane | September 28, 2005 at 01:47 AM