Reading my knitting

The nicest thing about a gentle, repetitive lace pattern is that it is relatively easy to figure out when you've messed up. My continued inability to count constantly amazes me. After all, I'm an accountant - count is even in the name, for goodness sake.

How can I end up with nine yarnovers in a place where there were eight before? Obviously I didn't include sufficient decreases in the prior knit row. Of course, after I posted about my counting difficulties last time, Alison mentioned that she's done a version of this shawl that doesn't involve as much counting. Oh well, a bit too late for that and I think I prefer this version anyway.

I'm still loving it. The yarn is wonderful and the pattern is restful, which is just what I need. The nine yarnovers became eight again, through some judicious use of decreases in the next yarnover row.

I'm glad I chose this pattern. Anything busier would have been overwhelmed by the color variegation in the handspun. I've never liked that phrase 'knitting is the new yoga' but I do find projects like this very peaceful to work. You have to pay sufficient attention not to end up with ever-increasing fans, but you don't have to constantly refer to a pattern or chart either. I've got almost sixteen inches (unblocked) so far and there's still about 300 yards of yarn left. That will add probably another 5 inches. Blocking will add even more.

I showed Mary Hoge (the maker of the handspun) my project when I went to guild Tuesday night. She was excited - she tells me she hasn't seen anyone make a big project with her handspun yet.

Scamp is addicted to the yarn fumes coming off this thing. She jumps on my lap and dives face down into it. Since the knitting makes a bag-like form on the needles, she digs herself into the bag and tries to force her face through the mesh. I have to move quickly to save things but I'm usually laughing too hard to do much.