Gail, Gail, the big fat fail

Rarely have I enjoyed a project less than this one. Never have I pushed myself to complete one that I enjoyed so little rather than cutting my losses and frogging it. Why I am doing this, I do not know. Because I have 10 shawls to complete this year and this one ticks another box? Well, that’s plain madness! I should just frog it and forget it.Yet I knit on.

I very much want to see Gail on the blocking mats today.

That’s how I felt yesterday too, and believe me, I had pushed my way towards that goal. I knitted furiously through the last pattern repeat, stressing all the way that I would have insufficient yarn for the border. But I knit those last 38 rows with a grim determination, believe me. The final 6 that were done yesterday afternoon were like doing some form of penitence.

I knit the first row of the border. The stitches didn’t fit. That was when I got that uneasy feeling…

Yep. Should have stopped at R32.

So I tinked out the entire afternoon’s work last night.

And now I am on the border and intend to get the damn thing done and off my back today. I’d like to soak it and pin it out by tonight if at all possible – and move on to a project altogether more joyful.

There has been other frogging.

I was gifted a ball of JaggerSpun Zephyr, I picked out a pattern to show it off – a Feather Duster Scarf. I cast on, set it up, knitted Chart A, then the first iteration of Chart B and… I don’t like it. So I frogged it and am going to try Miriam Felton’s Flutter Scarf instead – which oddly enough had been my first instinct for this yarn.

I’m not sure about Feather Duster. I think it might bore me to death – it’s a very simple and repetitious stitch pattern highly suited to a lace beginner – and yet… and yet, it clearly looks stunning if one makes the right yarn choice. Perhaps I’ll pop up to Orkney Angora one day and see what I can pick up – I see this triangle in soft fluffy angora, and most likely as a white. The pattern would make for good ferry knitting… so, it may be knit one day. After all, I’m a Yorkshire lass and I did shell out hard cash for the pattern.

Forward planning

In yesterday’s mail, a package from Alison at p2tog. Inside was a set of 3.25mm points and several new cables of assorted lengths – including a very long one (150cm). I am preparing for the mystery shawl KAL that I have signed up for with Susan Pandorf – the Evenstar Mystery Shawl. I’m lashing out on this one and intend it to be the big feature of 10 Shawls in 2010.

Interchangeables
Interchangeables

Lashing out indeed – I had made up my mind to evade my stash rule and to purchase the right yarn for this project. I even found a fairy godmother on Ravelry to do my shopping. She was to buy me 6 oz of Zephyr when she went to Webs yesterday. Sadly, Webs don’t wind off the cone on Saturdays and so we do not have our discounted price yarn.

I must return to the swatching routine and see what I can sort out. I cannot choose my beads until I know what yarn I am using.

Unless… unless… there is maybe another Fairy Godmother out there who can shop for the yarn for me and mail it over, if I PayPal the funds to them? It’s £8.50 for 50g here, and nowhere near so affordable as it is in the States.

Scary Lace

Also in yesterday’s post- this book – The Gossamer Webs Design Collection: Three Orenburg Shawls to Knit

I want to have a go at the square shawl before this year is out. I’ll be starting with the tutorial mini-shawl and then considering whether to follow the instruction to make one of the two other patterns before embarking on the shawl.

Scary Lace

And now, if you will excuse me, I have the final 7 rows of Gail to thrash out…

3 Comments

  1. January 24, 2010

    I’m thinking of using the angora that I acquires from OA for the Feather Duster – if there’s enough left after finishing the Juliet scarf, which I’m thinking of turning into a collar! 🙂

  2. January 24, 2010

    Another person who loathed Gail…. the only reason I kept going with it?
    I was in switzerland, I had no access to any other patterns!

    I didn’t know Webs sold Zephyr…. I’m going there in the summer, I think that might have to be a purchase… I love the Aeolian I knitted out of Zephyr.

    • January 24, 2010

      Yes, Webs sell Zephyr and it’s only $4.30 something an oz. KCG Trading have it over here at a whopping £8.50 for 50g. Angel Yarns seem to have stopped selling it and I can’t find any other source.

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