Bookbookbook

I am going to the Yarn Harlot's book launch tonight at the Textile Museum of Canada and I am completely excited. I have my copy of her book, I have a dinner packed, I have my Hillhead slipover project in my bag (cuz Steph loves the ribbing, doncha know...geez, I'm such a slavish groupie) and I am prepared to line up for a long time to get a good seat. It may help that I have been to this museum before for a Peter Collingwood lecture. If the launch is in the same auditorium (it's not huge), I fully expect that it will be standing room only, with many disappointed Harlot fans left outside while the rest of us inside backstab each other with our knitting needles to achieve good seats. I am really hoping that leaving right after work will get me inside. I'm sure that the Harlot thinks that no one will come - I have the reverse expectation! This is her home town, after all.

There are a few downsides to all this, though:

• Although my Hillhead slipover would seem to be the ideal project to bring because it looks desperately impressive, is something Steph has mentioned she likes, is something I really enjoy working on, and, to top it off, coordinates with my outfit today (I swear I didn't plan that part), I will probably be smothered with embarassment anyway knitting in front of a bunch of knitters because of my pathetically babyish Fair Isle technique. Oh, well.
  
  
• I will not be seeing my dear girlie tonight before she goes to bed. To make matters worse, she did wake up five minutes before I had to go this morning, which initially made me really happy, because I figured I wouldn't have to spend an entire day without being with her. I popped into the nursery to give her a quick good morning and hug goodbye. MISTAKE. My normally cool-as-a-cucumber-when-Mummy-goes-to-work kiddo broke into tragic sobbing, with real tears and reaching for me and wailing "Mummmmmeeee!" and the whole bit. I. Am. Officially. Scum.

Vigdis tunic for moi

At last, a picture of the progress.

Unfortunately, what I think I forgot to mention the last time I talked about this project is that right before I put down the needles, I discovered a cable miscross about eight rows back. You may be able to see at the top of the cable on the right side of the main pattern where I have unravelled that section - my next step is to fix it back up. Not a difficult task, just a real pain in the tuchus.

Snowdrop shawl for DH's aunt

Okay, you know how yesterday I claimed I would work on this exclusively until it was done? I guess I lied. Impressing other knitters takes precedence. This is sitting at home today. However, shock and awe (and disgust) settled over me yesterday during my lunch break as I realised I had made some errors about ten rows back. Firstly, I had managed somehow to drop a stitch in the middle of the centre panel. And secondly, I had managed somehow to pick up an extra two stitches at the point where I last broke out a snowdrop on the right side of the centre panel. There was no freaking way I was going to rip out all those hard-won rows, so I held my nose, unravelled the stitches in question and then knit them back up again the right way. (And, of course, I also picked up the dropped stitch all the way up to the top). I was tremendously impressed with myself at this success. However, the result, predictably, was the worst case of (what is essentially) laddering that I have ever seen:

The huge gaping maw of loose stitches in this photograph is the problem. But I still refuse to rip the rows back and correct it. I shall instead either do some strategic pulling so that the looseness is evenly divided over each row, or I will tighten just this section and secure the extra ends at the back of the work somehow. Stay tuned.

Hillhead slipover for Grandpa

Got about four or five more rows done on the commute this morning. It's so neat working on this project. I'm almost done one main pattern repeat.