someone stop me

The up and down of today’s yarn issues have left me exhausted.  The day started on a happy note.  The yarn I had spun for Grandma’s Gossamer Stars Scarf was all dry and wound into a ball and ready to go.  I decreased the number of repeats and cast on with a smaller needle size.  Um, is this the right side or the wrong  side.  After reading the instructions many times I decided to trust the designer and push on.  Oh, I get it.  Sometimes the stockinette  is the right side and sometimes reverse stockinette is the right side.  OK, I am good, press on.  Ah, this does not look right.  The reverse side is not working well with this yarn.  Check the pattern.  The pattern calls for silk.  If you are thinking about knitting a Gossamer Stars yourself, go with the silk.  Because the back and forth of the right side does not work with wool.  It needs to be silk.

Fine, I will make something else.  The yarn is light and airy and will work well as an airy scarf.  Cast on.  Nope.  Bigger needles?  Nope.  Smaller needles?  Of course not.  Different design,  and another and another.  I swatched my little heart out and could not make it work.  Then it hit me.  I was forcing my ideas and dreams on the yarn, not listening to what it had to say.  What it wanted was plain, even, tightish stitches.  Not airy, what was I thinking?  If the yarn could have reached out and smacked me it would have.  The yarn is soft.  So soft that it can sit right up against your neck and make you say "mmmm".  A cowl.  A simple, soft cowl.  I cast on.

Now this is better.  Listening to the yarn was good.  It looks good, I feel good.  I press on.  A few inches later.  No, this is not right.  I press on.  No, really, this is not working.  These colors are for a baby, not a feisty old Grandma.  Well, maybe I can wear it and make something else for Grandma.  There I go not listening to the yarn again.  A few rows later I say "Uncle".   The yarn will make a beautiful baby sweater.  Plain and simple and sweet.   Not what I am after right now.

Now what?  Now I still want to make something handspun for Grandma.  In case you are tuning in late, Grandma gave me my wheel (Bob) for my birthday.  I have also planned to make her a Danish Tie Shawl, but there is no time.  I will not have time to buy the fiber for a good week, then it will take another week to spin the 18 ounces required.  That would only give me two weeks to finish the shawl.  It is a BIG shawl, it criss-crosses across the front and wraps around to the back.  No time.  I may be a bid addle brained, but I know when something is going to take more than two weeks.  Of course, if I took it along as vacation knitting, knitting in the car and in the hotel and while waiting for the rest of the family to finish their hike....just maybe...