Mossy Cottage Knits

Who Says Corporal Punishment Isn't Effective?

Remember this, the zombie rose that tried to eat my brraaaainnnzzzz? Apparently it has forgiven me for hacking it to pieces, tying it to a wall, and leaving it to freeze in 13-degree weather:



The dahlia tubers, which I also hacked to pieces but much more tenderly, are also doing well. Too well since, technically, I can’t plant them for another 1.5 months and yet they’re rarin’ to go. Ack!

With the closing ceremonies looming, I could've won no medals or, continuing to bend the rules in the self-defined Knitting Olympics world in which I am Empress of All I Survey, I could've done what I did which was award myself three silver and one gold. Want to see them? Here:

The logic goes something like this:

Event: Choosing the pattern

Already had it, didn’t have to pay for it; had been avoiding it out of abject fear, an important factor in its selection; but am missing half of it, forcing me to leave important elements out of the compulsories. Silver medal.

Event: Choosing the yarn

Attempt 1: Bit it. Did a complete and total face plant down the entire length of the hill, leaving my skis hundreds of yarns behind me. Practically had to be airlifted off the mountain. No medal.

Attempt 2: Found almost-perfect yarn, lighter weight, softer, pleasant to knit, but too dark for the pattern. Silver medal.

Event: Casting on

Attempts 1-5: No medal, but I insist it was the fault of the course designer pattern which has the craziest cast on I’ve ever seen.

Attempt 6: Realized that the cast on was like turning a sock heel in that you just have to follow the steps, go with the Zennish flow and Believe, something akin to doing the slalom with your eyes closed and praying all the way down. Thus, won a gold medal, but only with the help of this online coach, who proved that the cast-on is, indeed, as wacky as thought but also doable.

Event: Reaching the goal

Went from being afraid of to scoffing, even jeering, at the pattern. By repeat six, I wasn’t even using the pattern, a miracle in itself.

Took good notes for the first time ever in my knitting history, including tracking where I left off.

Kept all the parts and pieces and tools together.

Worked at the project determinedly without drifting off to some other event like, oh, bobsled.

Got to 8 repeats out of 11 but didn’t finish. Silver medal, mostly for miraculously growing a knitting spine when I most needed it.

Hoo-ah!!

Posted by Ryan at February 28, 2010 03:43 PM