So, since I finished a pair of socks, I started a pair of socks.  I’m using a free pattern called cubist socks.  They are turning out to be really adorable.  I’ve had to shorten the leg quite a bit, again because of my calf issue, but again that doesn’t bother me.

But then I broke my rule and started yet another project.  It’s short though, so maybe it doesn’t count in the grand scheme of things.  I decided to use up the leftover yarn from the Vogue stockings to make a beret.  Actually, I started using other leftover sock yarn, but I didn’t like how it was turning out–the acrylic yarn seems to be a better fit for the beret than the wool, making it much softer.

And I’ve already reached the heel of the second.  Now this was my first fiddly bit with the first one…the first time my lace pattern went a bit wonky.  I was, therefore, determined that it would not happen again.  No dice.  Same spot, different problem, similar effect.  Not quite as bad this time, so it might not actually be noticeable once the stocking is finished, but it is still a bit frustrating.

It makes me wonder if I’m really ready to start on a large lace project.  I suppose when I do, I’ll just have to take my time, work backwards when needed, and learn to use lifelines.

Yet, my projects were with me all the way.  On the field trip, I started my second Vogue stocking.  (No, I’m not quite finished with the first, but it was simpler to start the second one on the trip.)  At home, while I convalesced, I managed to finish the back of my Zarabel sweater.  And in between everything else, I finished the first sleeve for my Spanish Moss Coat and got the second started.

I’m at that point where I’m itching to start something new, but I’m trying to be good.  I kind of like this combination I’ve got going though: a pair of socks, which are easy to bring along places; a crochet project, to give me a sense of accomplishment, since they go so quickly; and a big knitting project that I can pick up and put down as I get frustrated.

My first Vogue stocking is nearing completion, but I need to finish a whole other sock before I can wear them.  I am getting very close to the point where I want to try them on to see if I need to add more to the length.  I’m not very tall, but my calves are wide, which often makes socks shrink lengthwise since they have to stretch so much widthwise.  It might not be an issue with these, though, because of the all-over lace pattern.

My Zarabel sweater is also progressing nicely.  I’ve reached the point of splitting the front and back in order to shape the armcyes.  The body of the sweater should be finished in the next week or so.  It will be exciting to try it on for the first time, but it will still be quite a ways from being finished as I’ll still have the sleeves to do.

And is it just me, or do sleeves always seem to take forever?  I think the problem is that I underestimate how long they will take.  The seem like a small thing, so much narrower than the body of the sweater.  But when you think about it, the sleeve head is usually about as wide as the body–er, half of it anyway–so the sleeves should actually take about as long as the body.

Which brings us to the Spanish Moss Coat.  I’m working on the sleeves.  Enough said, right?

So, three projects that I’m very happy with so far and am very excited to wear that will in no way be ready to wear within the next couple of months.

After rereading the directions for the decreases, I’ve decided that it really is the directions’ fault.  It gives instructions for the right side decrease first, then gives instructions for the left, making me assume that it was talking about right and left as they related to me while I was working on the front of the sweater.  Turns out, the right and left should be relative to wearing the sweater, and I needed to reverse the directions so that I was working the left decrease before the right decrease.

Very confusing unless you are paying attention to the pictures, which I wasn’t because they don’t show up well in the copy I printed.  It wasn’t until I’d done several rows of decreases that I realized it looked weird to have the lace panels sloping towards the neck.

At any rate, I’m back on track now and have caught up with where I was at before I realized there was a major flaw.  I’ve just started my third skein with about a third of the body to go.  With four more skeins left, I shouldn’t have any problem finishing the sweater with what I’ve got left.  (This was a slight concern at the beginning, as I don’t think I’d be able to get any more skeins of this particular dye lot if I needed to.)

And then, I realized that I had done the decreases on the front stockinette sections wrong so that the lace panels on the sides were sloping towards the neckline instead of the ones closer to the center sloping towards the sides.  BIG difference to the overall look of the sweater, and NOT a mistake I could just live with.

So, I’ve spent the past several nights undoing about twelve rows of knitting.  I decided to take the slow route and unknit rather than just take the needles out and hope I could pick all those stitches back up without losing any or messing up the lace panels.

It has taken a while, but I’m finally ready to move forward again.  I’m going to have to reread the directions and figure out where I went wrong.  I have a feeling that it was because the instructions mention the right and then left side panels, so I assumed they were talking about the right and left relative to me facing the work, since that is the order I would encounter them in.  Instead, I think they mean the right and left side as worn, which would mean that I need to reverse the order of the instructions.  Again, I may have just misread and may discover that they are perfectly clear now that I know what NOT to do.

I’ve managed to get all the way to the heel flap without any major incidents.  (Two minor ones where I forgot a YO, but those were easily fixed on the next row, at least to my satisfaction.)  Then, I realized that I’d started the gusset increases on the wrong row, which meant that I was one increase short, but I decided to go on anyway and just fix that issue as I went.  What a pain in the bum that decision has been ever since.  Someone remind me never to mess with a lace pattern, at least, not until I get a bit better at this.

The only really noticeable error is that the flowers that start up the back at the heel are a little off, as in the bottom one starts about three stitches to the left of the one right above it.  Now, if this were simply a matter of ripping back, I’d be at it in a heartbeat, but in this case, ripping back means trying to pick up stitches in a lace pattern.  No way.  Not going to happen.  I’d try it, it would get messed up, and I’d end up pulling the whole sock apart.  Starting over at this point in my progress would be heartbreaking and would probably put an end to my attempts.

So, my only other option is to live with it.  It’s not likely that I would wear these with sandals, and no one would probably notice even if I did.  Hopefully, this is the end of my issues with these stockings, because I still have quite a ways to go just to finish the first one.  I also hope that once I get a little further in the pattern, these little mistakes won’t stand out so much.

So, while I’m on row 50 of the Zarabel sweater, I still have miles to go.  And though I’m half way up the first sleeve, I’m still many hours away from having both sleeves done in order to start assembling the coat.

In similarly dull news, I made a mistake on my second Mojo sock and decreased the heel stitches WAY too quickly (as in every row instead of every other).  After mulling over it and wearing the socks for a while, I’ve realized that I’m just not willing to live with it, as it significantly interferes with the fit of the sock.  So, now I’m procrastinating on that because I don’t want to deal with ripping my work back and trying to pick up the stitches without completely ruining all that work, but at the same time, I won’t let myself start another pair of socks until I deal with it.

I’ll end on a good note, however!  After working on the lace pattern on the Zarabel sweater, I’m feeling confident enough to tackle the Vogue lace stockings again.  I really think I can do it this time.  Plus, the motivation is better now that the weather is warming up and I’m not so obsessed with warm wool socks.

Obviously, I’m managing okay, since I’m still working my way up the sweater…but it certainly would have been nice.

I’ve gotten far enough, even, that I had to wind my second ball of yarn.  I’m pretty comfortable with how far the first ball has gone and think that I should have plenty of yarn to complete the project.

Now, I usually get my yarn wound at the store, but occasionally I end up with unwound skeins for whatever reason.  Last time this was the situation, I took a few pictures of my technique to share with you.  First, here is my makeshift swift:

I start with the chair backs touching in order to get the skein around them, and then move them apart until the yarn is no longer sagging, but not taut.  Sometimes Mei Mei likes to help; she is making sure I don’t lose that yarn end that’s on the ground.

It’s hard to see in this photo, but I leave several inches of the tail of the yarn hanging down as I begin to wind the ball.

Then it’s time to loosely wind around, making sure I don’t catch the tail.

Once I’ve wound all the yarn, I tuck in the end I’ve been winding under the last few passes.

If I was careful enough not to get my original tail caught in all the winding, it should still be dangling down from the center, giving me a center-pull ball of yarn!