Frustration, Determination, and Finally, Success!

I've been doing a LOT of knitting lately. I can't help it - I'm obsessed. I finished a couple of projects recently and started a new one and everything came screeching to a halt when I realized I didn't have the right yarn. But the right yarn has been ordered and is on the way.

Last night, Skip and I attended our monthly Mac User's group meeting. Skip is the Mac User, I just tag along for the general computer information and to spend some time outside of the house with my husband. I took the pattern, needles and yarn for a new project, the Dianna shawl,  that, although it was lace, didn't look like it would be too hard. I have some very cool Zauberball sock yarn that I thought would be perfect for it. I got to row 10 and couldn't figure out why I didn't have the number of stitches the chart said I should have. RIP! I did it again and had the same problem. Did I forget a yarnover? RIP! I tried it again and dropped a stitch somewhere. RIP! The cable on my circular was driving me nuts 'cause it was so stiff and the correct needle tip for my lovely KnitPicks Harmony wood interchangeable needles that Santa brought me last Christmas was in use on another project. After about the 5th time trying to get beyond row 10 I finally realized I was p2tog when I should have been p3tog. Aha! And on I went. At this point I was having a hell of a time reading the graph because it was missing some important stuff like any symbols on the even numbered rows and didn't have the slip wyif symbol at the beginning of each row. So I thought I'd have another look at the notes and behold, it said to knit the knits and purl the purls as they appear and purl the yarnovers outlining the leaf on the next row. Argh! I put it down.

Today, Skip and I went into The Big City to attend the noon hour recital of one of my former students, Alexa Wing (soprano). It was a lovely Baroque music recital featuring some works of Maurice Greene and Georg Frederic Handel. Being an 'oboiste' I am very partial to Baroque music and having it performed by someone I know made the experience even more enjoyable. On the GO Train, I hauled out the Dianna project again and attempted to make more progress with not too much success. Again, at the recital, I tried to make sense of it thinking I'd somehow get some inspiration from Alexa's lovely performance. Wrong!

After the recital, Skip and I went down to the St. Lawrence Market and poked around for a while. It was so nice being there on a weekday - no crowds! We wandered up and down every aisle. I bought three cookie cutters and we bought some of our favourite Lappi cheese.We stopped for lattes and some sugarless licorice. On the way home on the train, I managed to complete two repeats of the pattern. But realized I wasn't doing the entrelac properly. RIP!

Once home, I rewrote the chart so that it could be followed accurately but I left the project at home when I went to my knitting group because I realized it is a project that requires my 100% concentration.  I took other stuff to Knit Night and started in again when I got home. Once home, I commenced again and finally was successful completing one pattern and am half done a repeat. YAY!

I damned if I was going to be defeated by a 2"x2" square of lace kitting - sheesh!