31 Days: Update

Longest scarf I've ever made!





(note: queen size bed, corner to corner and hanging)

Done.

Cashmere and Corsets

AH, My sister's wedding grows closer. I have decided to ditch knitting her the cashmere shawl. She wouldn't appreciate it. And she certainly wouldn't understand the amount of time that would have gone into it.

So I'm knitting a cardigan for ME to wear to her wedding instead. She has proclaimed that she must approve it before hand. "Because she doesn't want anything tacky." So, she thinks I'm tacky? Or knitting is tacky?

Lace weight cashmere cardigan in cream. Ecologically friendly cashmere. I don't think it is possible to MAKE it tacky on purpose. Now, if I wanted to be tacky, I would knit a nice Merry Widow in something like yellow with red hearts. With fun fur. And bedazzle the nips. But I will be wearing it under the dress, so I could actually go as tacky as I want in that area. Provided there is no wardrobe malfunction. But if there was, the look on her face would be priceless.

Ah, screw it. The belittling digs and barbs I've been getting will disappear when she wants to rip the cardigan off my body to wear herself. In the mean time, I have a wonderful friend who lets me unload my emotional bull on him and then cheers me up with a hug, even if he is thousands of miles away. And he'll make sure to protect my person and cardigan from cashmere thieves. Because that is just the sort of guy he is. :)

I give up.

On the Lace stole?

No.

The Albatross Sweater?

No.

Being a good little employee?

Yep!

The top two items have been driving me bananas for quite some time. And, truth be told, so has the third.

Here's the thing that is making me nuts. I have been painstakingly following the instructions on the patterns so that they will come out absolutely perfect for my sister. The Albatross is no longer going to be worn by her, but it will still go to a good home. After all, it's not mine or the sweater's fault that my sister lost weight and now looks like a skinny leggy super-model. Why punish the sweater? So it will go to a good home elsewhere.

The stole has a long time to be completed. Since I am currently only working on the prototype that I will be wearing, I am using it as a learning experience so when I do make her stole, I won't be screaming and cursing at it, thus imbuing it with negative vibes.

I'm being patient. I'm following the rules. These are good things correct? I should at least get a pat on the head, if not a cookie.

At my job, I pointed out some discrepancies between two reports. I didn't say anything, one way or another. Just let the boss know that perhaps things aren't adding up and he might want to keep an eye on things. He asked another employee why his report was so different from the system's.

The other employee basically threatened me. That I "better watch it." And that he was going to "mess with my shit." I should "fucking stay out of (his) business".

I relied the conversation and my ensuing concerns with my boss and he basically told me to just play nice and "(I) have to just figure out how to work with (the other employee)"

???!!!!

So, if my mutilated body is found in a ditch somewhere, or I seemed to have over dosed on pesticides, or ran over with a bob cat or lawnmower, I'm posting this blog so that at least my parents will know that I wasn't suicidal, wouldn't get in front of a huge nasty piece of equipment willingly, or put my person in danger in any other way.

I was actually just doing my job.

Lace: An evil no one tells you about!

Grandma's doilies, trendy tops, hair ties, and table clothes. All have lace. A beautiful airy fabric that can be thin enough to slide through a wedding band. Or, that's the goal and the true measure of knitting a lace stole.

Right! The true measure is going to be can I make the practice one with out having my family commit me. The test of character will come if I can bring myself to start the "real" one if I ever finish the test run.

So far, even the cat has not been seduced, enchanted, or developed even a remote interest in the tangled nest that is the 1st stole. I admit that my sub-conscience is leaving it out and vulnerable to see if she goes for it, (so I can blame her for the mess) she's not biting.

And yet, I can't yet put it down. Because in my mind, there has to be a way to make this simple and to make it make sense. I could breakdown and atom easier.

I love the fact that at this point in time, on of my knitting idols is working on a lace shawl. so in my mind, we are working as a team to create lace for the world. Hopefully she is having better luck than me.

What was I thinking?!

So I awoke early this morning. A morning I have off and get to sleep in. A morning where my cat insists that 5am is a good time to get attention. After a struggle to hide under the covers from the puffer, I climbed out of bed, because there was really no use pretending I was going to get sleep. Besides, I have holiday knitting to do.

As I sat with my coffee, a bizarre urge took hold of me. Even after my last post on shopping this time of year, I decided I would do what I have never done before: I went shopping at the crack of dawn on Black Friday.

I got the car parked. I even managed to get into the store. And that is where I fade out. Head spinning and hyper-ventilating, I was not made for this. One nice woman asked me if I was okay and needed some help. If I could just step out of line in front of her, she would call someone over to help. I vaguely recall making it to my car where I could finally start to breathe again. I seem to recall my mother used to have this reaction shopping. I wonder if it's inherited. I made it home with out buying a thing. Later in the day I ventured out once again and visited the one sanctuary that I knew no ill effects would grasp me: the local yarn shop (LYS) "Never Enough Yarn."

I bought wool strictly to be added to my stash. Simply because I realized that I don't have a stash I can shop. Everything in it was ear marked for a specific project. Whether the project ever actually gets done is another story. I also picked up some lace-weight cashmere to make a bridal shawl for my sister.

This then shows you exactly how big of a toll the morning's foray cost me and my mind. Am I FREAKING NUTS??!! A lace shawl out of cashmere? I have truly set myself up for a masochistic endeavor. IF I actually finish this thing (hopefully outside of a mental ward) I doubt my lovely sister will even realize the difficulty of the project, or the cost I plunked down today for the cashmere yarn itself. This thing better be a protected heirloom or I'll use it to strangle her.



After all, cashmere is a fairly strong fiber.