Disappointment
It's been a disappointing few days, much of it my own doing.
I made a neckwarmer for a good friend of mine for Christmas. It started off as the Reverse Rib Neckwarmer from Sqwish, but I got bored with it. I scrolled up on Sqwish's blog and found her pattern for the Horseshoe Lace Cowl. I decided to change my plans and use this lace pattern, but to orient it so that the horseshoes came out sideways. It worked. I lined it with grey jersey-knit fabric. I sewed buttons on.
It came out too short.
I messed around with the buttons and experimented with different ways to wear it, and finally came up with something wearable. Luckily, she loved it, and loves how different it is.
I find this is happening to me a lot lately - things turning out too short, too small, too big. I think I must be rushing my measurements or something. It's frigging annoying. And, I'm rushing so much that I keep neglecting to take photos of things before I give them away. Sigh.
My next disappointment is that I think I might be allergic to the wool I'm currently using. It's Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride, worsted, 85% wool, 15% mohair. I was excitedly knitting away on a mitten that I'm basing on the heart cable pattern from Vampire Boyfriend, a sock pattern on Knitty.com. I reached a point where I ripped out a few rows to make a few changes, and I started noticing an itchiness in my throat, and a tingly tongue. I don't have many allergies (just to cats, and my symptoms are different), but I've got a friend who has a lot of allergies, and that's just how she describes her reactions. I put the mitten away and the itchiness and tingly feeling went away. Now, every time I pick it up, I feel the symptoms. I don't know if it's because I'm looking for them, or if I am genuinely reacting, but since I'm home for the holidays, I figure it would be better to put it away than risk making a memorable Christmas by ending up in the hospital.
My brother is picking up some Benadryl for me, but I think I might just let this one sit for a while until I can figure out what's going on. Worst case - I get one pretty mitten out of it and give away the rest of the yarn. So much for the pretty mitten and hat set.
Well, actually, the worst case would be to have a fatal anaphylactic reaction.
On the upside, since I'm home in Winnipeg, I paid a visit to Ram Wools and picked up two lovely skeins of laceweight yarn to make Hannah Fettig's Featherweight Cardigan. I've been thinking about this one for a long time - such a lovely light and beautiful cardigan, perfect for wear all year round. I've been searching for the perfect laceweight for it - I wanted greens, lots of greens. I really wanted an apple green, but it's hard to find a heathered apple green lace. And I also decided I wanted to choose it in person, where I could see the colours, rather than buy it online and risk getting something that wasn't quite right.
I decided on these two skeins from Tanis Fiber Arts - a Canadian hand-dyer that has really made a name for herself!
I chose these skeins purely because of their beauty, and for their reasonable price. I had heard about Tanis Fiber Arts before, but only noticed the label when I got back to my parents' house. I'm so very glad to have supported a Canadian small business.
The colourway is Mallard. They don't have any apple greens in them, but they're lovely, and they're going to make a perfect cardigan!
I also bought these skeins of Alpakka, from Sandnes Garn. This was a standing-in-line purchase - so pretty! And I immediately pictured an entrelac scarf - perfect project for three skeins of yarn. I may start on it now, since the mittens are grounded. I feel so strange sitting here without something to work on.
My throat is still funny. Wow - I never thought this hobby would get me into so much trouble!
I made a neckwarmer for a good friend of mine for Christmas. It started off as the Reverse Rib Neckwarmer from Sqwish, but I got bored with it. I scrolled up on Sqwish's blog and found her pattern for the Horseshoe Lace Cowl. I decided to change my plans and use this lace pattern, but to orient it so that the horseshoes came out sideways. It worked. I lined it with grey jersey-knit fabric. I sewed buttons on.
It came out too short.
I messed around with the buttons and experimented with different ways to wear it, and finally came up with something wearable. Luckily, she loved it, and loves how different it is.
I find this is happening to me a lot lately - things turning out too short, too small, too big. I think I must be rushing my measurements or something. It's frigging annoying. And, I'm rushing so much that I keep neglecting to take photos of things before I give them away. Sigh.
My next disappointment is that I think I might be allergic to the wool I'm currently using. It's Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride, worsted, 85% wool, 15% mohair. I was excitedly knitting away on a mitten that I'm basing on the heart cable pattern from Vampire Boyfriend, a sock pattern on Knitty.com. I reached a point where I ripped out a few rows to make a few changes, and I started noticing an itchiness in my throat, and a tingly tongue. I don't have many allergies (just to cats, and my symptoms are different), but I've got a friend who has a lot of allergies, and that's just how she describes her reactions. I put the mitten away and the itchiness and tingly feeling went away. Now, every time I pick it up, I feel the symptoms. I don't know if it's because I'm looking for them, or if I am genuinely reacting, but since I'm home for the holidays, I figure it would be better to put it away than risk making a memorable Christmas by ending up in the hospital.
My brother is picking up some Benadryl for me, but I think I might just let this one sit for a while until I can figure out what's going on. Worst case - I get one pretty mitten out of it and give away the rest of the yarn. So much for the pretty mitten and hat set.
Well, actually, the worst case would be to have a fatal anaphylactic reaction.
On the upside, since I'm home in Winnipeg, I paid a visit to Ram Wools and picked up two lovely skeins of laceweight yarn to make Hannah Fettig's Featherweight Cardigan. I've been thinking about this one for a long time - such a lovely light and beautiful cardigan, perfect for wear all year round. I've been searching for the perfect laceweight for it - I wanted greens, lots of greens. I really wanted an apple green, but it's hard to find a heathered apple green lace. And I also decided I wanted to choose it in person, where I could see the colours, rather than buy it online and risk getting something that wasn't quite right.
I decided on these two skeins from Tanis Fiber Arts - a Canadian hand-dyer that has really made a name for herself!
I chose these skeins purely because of their beauty, and for their reasonable price. I had heard about Tanis Fiber Arts before, but only noticed the label when I got back to my parents' house. I'm so very glad to have supported a Canadian small business.
The colourway is Mallard. They don't have any apple greens in them, but they're lovely, and they're going to make a perfect cardigan!
I also bought these skeins of Alpakka, from Sandnes Garn. This was a standing-in-line purchase - so pretty! And I immediately pictured an entrelac scarf - perfect project for three skeins of yarn. I may start on it now, since the mittens are grounded. I feel so strange sitting here without something to work on.
My throat is still funny. Wow - I never thought this hobby would get me into so much trouble!
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