This Will Take How Long?

...So I tore out all the stitches and started my lace stole over tonight.  There are 504 rows to the entire project.  I figure if I manage one row a day that is reasonable.  Some days I'll be able to knit more and some I won't get in any.  But just supposing I did get one a day...that is 1 year, 4 months and 7 days to complete this!  Yikes!!!  Maybe I should consider upping the ante and go for two a day so that I can finish it in....let's see 8 months and 3 or 4 days...probably 4 since I'll need time to bind off.  Whew!  And I thought some of my felting projects were time consuming.

I really respect lace knitters after just this first couple stabs at it!  And the bit I have read and watched about lace knitting tells me that historically the people did not have patterns like ours to go by.  If they were lucky they had a swatch of a neighbor's work showing the stitches to use.  I think that this is one reason I enjoy my free-form work so much.  I get to just make it all up along the way and there is no wrong way...just my way...no worry over whether or not I have matched to a pattern.  Like I said I really respect and admire those who can do this type of work and do it well.

Well off to bed for tonight...more to come on this project another day...(Mine does NOT look like the picture below, but hopefully some day it will!)
Janet

Dunes and Waves

pattern at http://www.tashaknits.blogspot.com/ or on Ravelry

I love getting packages!  My new needles arrived yesterday - size 4 circular needle by Lantern Moon...made in rosewood.  Yum!  So this morning my sweet hubby took the Dremel to the ends and got them all nice and pointy like I wanted them for my lace project.

...Tonight I made myself a little check list of the steps...yes there is a chart...but I have found that I end up marking that all up to the point of being unreadable in order to keep track of all the repeating patterns...soooo I made up a list of all the repeats with check boxes for me to use to keep the mess off my official chart!  It is snazzy!

...Then I took my chart, needles and yarn and got to work...only I was playing with the dog at the same time...I thought for a minute in row 3 that I was going to have to tear the whole thing out...but in recounting I found that I was still right on track...so onward I went.

Now I bet there are times that you can think of that you have done something that you really knew you shouldn't try, right?  Well I was okay with knitting lace and playing with the dog because he was patient and waited until I got to a check point...so I always kept track of where I was.  However, after he fell asleep my husband wandered in and suggested we watch some more of the history DVDs he had checked out at the library...the Crusades.  I nodded yes and kept on counting and keeping track of my stitches on my snazzy little check list...AND THEN the man lecturing on the Crusades started spouting...you guessed it...numbers!  All kinds of them!!!  By the end of row 5 which you can see in my photos, I have 'lost' three stitches somewhere...I think they got sucked up into the DVD.  Ugh!!!

So tomorrow I start all over...its starting to feel like that saying "no pain, no gain"...

Good Evening,
Janet

The flip side looks like this...

Good Evening,

I have a pictorial update to the fabric I am making for the little jacket...

Crosspatch Creations is made by Joan W. Contraman in Corvallis, Montana.  You can reach her at 406-961-4473 or joan@spinningfiber.net.  To view her products go to http://www.spinningfiber.net/.

Lovely fiber feels great!
Janet