September 1st, 2010
I have no idea why the clock says 12:41am and I’m still awake. My bedtime should have been hours ago. I suspect it might have to do with the ginormous iced coffee McDonalds gave me despite me ordering a medium which meant me sipping on a caffeine high all day long.
My spinning wheel has been neglected over this hot summer. I’ve just not been in the spinning mood. But now that it’s officially September it means fall is quickly on its way and I’m ready to get back into it! I have some merino/tencel on there now (pictured above) from Knitted to a T (picked up last year at Wool Gathering). When I originally bought this fiber I bought 4oz of plain merino and 4oz of the merino/tencel blend with the idea that I’d spin each individually into singles and then ply them together. But now… now I’m not so sure. I like the shine of this one and I’m worried it might get lost if I blend it with the plain merino or look weird.
On the other hand, if I do what I originally planned then I should end up with more than enough yardage to do quite a bit bigger project than my usual scarf. And that’s really what I wanted when I bought the fibers: more yardage. Anyone have any thoughts?
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August 29th, 2010
Today we mourn the loss of a beloved knitting project… the Ephemera Cardigan.
Your short-lived life in the world began on May 20th, 2010 as I so confidently and excitedly cast on for you. It was love at first stitch – you were so easy to work with! So pretty! So lightweight! You became my go-to carry-along project, leaving my poor sock projects feeling bitterly rejected as they sat in the knitting basket along with all of the other discarded projects.
But then something went horribly amiss. Something just didn’t feel right as I knit your front left and right portions. But I persevered, determined that in the end I’d love you and you’d love me and we’d have that happily ever after I dreamed of, spending cool fall evenings together as we walked arm-in-arm through the neighborhood.
But you kept breaking my heart, Ephemera. We just didn’t fit. Your gauge was 20 sts and 30 rows over 4″, mine was 24 sts and 28 rows. I blocked and blocked and blocked you, hoping that you might surprise me and actually change. But you refused. And still yet I persisted. I cast on for your sleeves anyway, still hoping and praying we’d be okay. I even convinced myself that, should it not work out, I’d gift you to someone who would appreciate a hand-knit cardigan. If I couldn’t have you, then I at least wanted someone for you that would enjoy and appreciate you.
I tried. I gave you my all. It wasn’t you, it was me. You gave me clear directions, and I failed at understanding them. And by the time I realized it, it was too late – you were already lost to me. I tried to undo the mistakes, but you made it very obvious that you didn’t want me anymore. Every undone row just created more friction, and before long you were felting and resistant. I finally had to do the thing I wanted the least – I had to take the scissors and end our relationship.
So goodbye, dear friend. Perhaps in another world/life we’ll meet again.
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