A Year in the Making
Have you ever had that project that someone asked you to make and at the time, when you agreed to make it, you were thinking to yourself “No problem. I can get this done. It will be a piece of cake.” And the feeling of happiness and willingness lasted all of two minutes; exactly until the yarn for said project was in your hot little hand and you walked away…
Well, a year ago, I decided I needed felted Gnomes (we have lots of felting kits) for Meredith to give her for her birthday. These super cute little kits we have make 2 Gnomes, each with a different colored coat. I had the bright idea that Meredith and I could name our Gnomes and hide them around the house, coming up on them unexpectedly and then hiding them again. 
Cute idea right? Well, I don’t needle felt. And don’t have any desire to needle felt. So I asked Kendra (our resident felter) to make them for me and I would pay her. Kendra didn’t really want me to pay her so she asked if we could barter. I said yes and she asked me to make a pair of socks for her middle son. Enter: “No problem. I can get this done. It will be a piece of cake.” Honestly, a pair of kid’s socks? I could have had them done in a weekend. But I didn’t. As a matter of fact, I just finished them this Sunday past, exactly ONE Year Later.
Reasons? Or rather, Excuses? I didn’t like the yarn and it was a very dark blue making it hard to see the tiny stitches; I didn’t have a real foot in front of me to measure so I was knitting by the seat of my pants wondering if the sock would fit… Possibly valid excuses for tardiness. But an entire year? Add the fact that I had Gnomes in the house for the entire year and my humiliation and mortification are complete. I am coming clean in public to scourge my guilt and help remind myself to think twice before saying yes.
On a slightly related note I have a sock mending idea for you. A customer came in (I think Ursula Smith?) and told Jane about this idea so she tried it and then I had to try it… Instead of darning socks (or throwing them away!) try needle felting the hole with roving. You’ll know from what I said earlier that I have never needle felted before and was a little nervous. The whole sharp jabbing thing is a little much for me as I tend to be clumsy in normal circumstances, never mind while holding extremely sharp, barbed needles. But I was motivated because this pair of socks was a special gift, they are covered in polka dots and they are cashmere. 
I am not throwing them away. So away I went and look at the results! It beats darning or tossing and adds character.
thing I am knitting is the Leaf Lace Shawl from the Vogue Knitting Shawls and Wraps compilation. I have seen this wrap before in one of their mags and was transfixed by it then. The photography is stunning and as crazy as it looks, it begs to be knit. I found myself with 20 balls of Debbie Bliss butter yellow Como that I impulsively bought when the distributor sent it to us by mistake. I could not resist
the color and had at least three sweaters in mind (as usual). I settled on one in the Como book, cast on and knit in the round up to the armholes. I them divided it into front and back and knit most of the back. Then the sweater got very comfortable in my knitting basket and began to languish. I should have had this sweater done by Christmas and I didn’t even want to work on it. When this Shawls and Wraps book crossed my desk this week and I saw the pic on the back cover, I knew. So I went home and frogged the 10 balls of yellow 
I had knit and cast on the shawl. The Como is bulkier than the yarn in the pattern so instead of a 19 I am using a 35 (because the yarn is doubled)
one that requires reading every line of a 52 row repeat (for a 49″ chest!) And he chose the yarn, 
the Christening gown, a Baby Fiesta Dress, a rug for my husband’s birthday, an Einstein Coat in Noro Kochoran, a Lopi sweater, the 
knit-along projects. Anytime Nolan dropped in, he was sure to comment, “That doesn’t look like my sweater.” And everyone feels duty bound to use the greeting, “How’s Nolan’s sweater coming?” Today I have on my latest temptation–the 
night, I swore to myself (because no one else would believe me) that I will not knit another thing until I finish Nolan’s sweater and that I will do that by Christmas! ( The men in my family are taking odds on whether that is this Christmas or next!) At least it’s bulky and I’m almost through with the back! Oops! Noro just arrived to be put away, maybe with a blindfold on! May your holidays be filled with color!
