I was trying to work the last six rows of the pattern for the lace scarf. It should have been very easy because the three pattern rows are identical and the other three are plain purl-back rows.
Somehow I lost a stitch. The most common reason for me losing a stitch is that I forget a yarnover - not tragic and generally fixable without too much fuss. This time it was different. I must have knit those 6 rows a dozen times trying to locate and fix the problem and I was still winding up with 30 stitches instead of 31. On one particularly frustrating iteration, I ended with 32 stitches!
Sometimes it’s a good thing when a person doesn’t have any hair to tear out :)
Finally I gave up trying to fix the problem, ripped until the count was right, and the picked it up from there. That did the trick but by the time I had finally finished that pattern repeat, I’d about had it with the scarf for a while :) And yes, I know about life-lines but honestly, would you bother for a 41-stitch-wide lace scarf?
I’ll be picking up the scarf again today though. The colors are shifting nicely and it’s really something to see as they drift gently from one side to the other. I’m thinking about dyeing another hank of fingering weight in a similar fashion only using cool colors this time and seeing how that works out. Tea (plain, old black tea) makes a nice brownish drabber for warm colors. Now I have to find a nice greyish drabber for cool colors!
Seems like allergies have been especially annoying; Myria and I have both had a hard time with them this summer and the last couple of weeks have been really bad. Itchy, red eyes, congestion and sneezing! My god! - do you know what happens when you’re trying to get a cup of coffee from the kitchen to the living room and your hit with a sudden bout (and they’re all sudden!) of allergy sneezing? Mocha colored wallpaper - that’s what happens. And sometimes damp, angry cats :)
We were talking about Ravelry Saturday evening in Chatters. I signed up kind of late and am still only 4358th in line. Reviews have been sort of mixed and there have been reports of increased spam since joining the group. I’m curious, of course, but I really don’t know what to make of it. Ravelry, that is. I do know what to make of increased spamage - I’m agin’ it :)
No trackbacks yet.
For myself, I haven’t noticed any increase in spam since I joined, which was, oh maybe two-three weeks ago?
Nor have I to this point, but then, it has only been a week.
And, I wouldn’t use a lifeline on 41 stitches either. :)
Colleen - That’s good to hear. I was beginning to be afraid that the whole meghilla was a hot-bed of address harvesting.
Ev - I did think about adding a lifeline - but I just felt too silly to actually do it for a 41 stitch scarf.
Now, if we were talking about a multi-thousand stitch rows, say on a large, circular shawl - you bet your bippy I’d use one. I’d probably use two just in case one failed, or broke or something :)
That’s interesting. I HAVE noticed more spam than usual, but only 3 or 4 more per day. I didn’t even think it could be Ravelry.
I will say that once the initial Ravelry excitment wore off, I’m very seldom there. I go days without checking in. I guess it’s hard for me to repeat all the information about my projects in 3 places now - my blog, Fiber Freaks and now Ravelry. I do enjoy checking in to see what patterns are popular, but that’s only when I think of it.
And once Ravelry is open to everyone and the membership jumps to over 15,000...well, it’s going to be too impersonal for my taste. More like a yarn company website than a place to network. :) But I do give the web designers all credit - it’s one heck of a clearinghouse for all things knit & crochet! (Although crochet still doesn’t have all the nifty bells & whistles that knitting does on Ravelry.)
Oh yeah - I forgot to say that I’ve been on Ravelry for about 3 months now - plenty of time to get on spammer lists!
Hi, there-
Just a quick note about the spam issue- there is no way that signing into Ravelry would increase the spam that you receive. We have never sent out messages to Ravelers, other than their invitation, and would absolutely never sell our users’ information to outside parties.
Hope this helps.
Jessica (from Ravelry)
I’ve been on Ravelry quite awhile now (about 3 months maybe?) & no increase in spam.
breathing may be a bit over-rated anyway- angry cats, especially those wet from hot tea or coffee, are a different matter entirely though!!
i have managed to create a grey easter egg, but i’ve never successfully tried it with yarn- each year when i dye the eggs, those intended to be purple come out a lovely hazy grey- NOT exactly what the bunny ordered! i wouldn’t suggest trying a tablet of the purple egg dye for drabbing, but it is always a consideration (which should be rightfully ignored)-
stay happy-
Bron - When you got your invite, I was afraid the blogging world was going to lose you :)
Not being a terribly social person, I’m more interested in what else, besides networking, Ravelry has to offer.
Jessica - It’s good to know that Ravelry isn’t about amassing and selling e-mail addresses. I never thought it was, but it’s good to hear anyway :)
Thanks for commenting!
Donna - That’s good to hear :)
Barb - You may be onto something there and I may try using a bit of purple as a drabber. My only other thought had been to try using bluberry juice which stains something awful but only initially purple. Once it’s washed, it goes grey.
I’d hate to use the blueberries like that though when they’re so darn good to eat!
I haven’t noticed an increase in spam since I joined a few weeks ago.
I wouldn’t lifeline with 41sts, but then I never lifeline. ;-)
Opal - You don’t use life lines? Ever?
::fanning self::
Well, actually, I never have either. But I’ve seen some of the splendid and complex things you knit and I can’t imagine not having a safety net - you know - just in case!
Oooh, lost stitches blues. I had to put away the two lace projects for a bit, since I was suffering from that same mysterious malady—after successfully completing several repeats I was suddenly losing stitches. I am about ready to try again.
Rob - And that’s the real zinger, isn’t it? It’s that you completed umpty-dozen repeats with nary a problem and suddenly, it’s as though you can’t count any more!
Arrrggggghhhh.....
A lot of folks are having more trouble with their allergies, since the global warming thing is helping many plants make extra pollen. My health food store suggested quercitin, a natural mild anti-inflammatory I take morning and night. My teens have had good results with it, too.
The problem you had with the counting seems to happen to me when my mind wants me to ‘change channels’ and do something else but I keep knitting anyway. It is so annoying to have to backtrack again and again. Definitely one of the top ten frustrations of knitting. A certain cat secretly chewing on yarn is number one with me, which I always discover in the middle of a row as the stiff frayed bits runs through my fingers. Blech. Yarn = Cat floss.
Lydia - Thanks for mentioning the quercitin - I’ll have to do some research on it and make sure there wouldn’t be any problems with using it, but it sounds like a really useful product!
The counting thing? I have no idea what causes it - maybe, as with you, it’s my body telling me to Quit knitting already! Problem is my head never wants to stop :)
