Sunday, March 13, 2016

Year of Projects 5: Week 37



KNIT. SOCK. LOVE. : BFF • Clandestine • Cusp • German Stockings • Gothic Spire • Hedera • In and Out • Lissajous • Marilinda • Mona • Monkey • Pointelle • Rhombus  Sake • Stalagmite • Stricken • Thelonious  Twisted Flower • Wedge

COOKIE A SOCK CLUB: June #1 • June #2 • August #1 • August #2 • October #1 • October #2 • December #1 • December #2 

VANILLA SOCKS FOR CHARITY: July • August • September • October • November • December • January  February • March • April • May • June


If it isn't one thing, it's another.

Things went off the rails with Twisted Flower when I noticed a split stitch in a cable and decided to tink back to fix it. Easier said than done with darkish splitty yarn on tiny needles and a million tiny cables. In fact, I'm about to cry "Uncle" and rip back to the cuff to start over. This yarn is CoBaSi - a cotton, bamboo and silk blend - so is a bit splitty straight away. After salvaging it by frogging Darjeeling socks it got splittier and will likely be even splittier after another round of frogging. I might need to use lifelines to get through these socks! CRAP!

Never mind, I thought, I'll put that aside for a bit and cast on something else for instant gratification.  And what could be more quick and gratifying than a simple classic sock like BFF from a really luxurious yarn like Tosh Sock? So imagine my frustration when I discovered the yarn was badly frayed after knitting more than a dozen rounds. Okay, that's not insurmountable. But after knitting ten repeats of the leg I realized that there wasn't nearly enough yardage to knit the leg (or the foot) long enough to fit me. CRAP! That IS insurmountable. Short of adding a contrasting yarn my only choice was to knit a smaller sock, so that's what I did. Sock one is 55 grams, with 55 grams remaining for sock two so I should just squeak through. This finished pair will be donated to charity.

But the biggest disaster of my knitting week happened on Wednesday morning when I dropped and shattered my coffee mug splashing boiling hot coffee across a large area of my living room. Last week's finished baby blanket was sitting on the ottoman awaiting a nice box for packaging and shipping to the expectant mother, and it was splashed with coffee. The stained blanket has been soaked. It's had repeated baths alternating dish detergent water and vinegar water. It's soaking one more time now. The stains are hardly noticeable now, but if they still remain I'll try commercial laundry stain removers this afternoon. And if all that fails, it looks like I'll be bleaching it white. CRAP!

So that's been my week. I'm almost afraid to do anything or touch anything else. They say bad luck comes in threes - and I've had my three - so maybe it's safe. Here's hoping next week is less disastrous :)


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh ........everything wasn't so, so bad, but messing up that beautiful blanket. That stinks. Hope you can get all the stains out.

We have a product here called Oxy-White ----- do you have that in Canada? It's worked to get some pretty nasty stuff off Steve's work shirts.

K1teach2 said...

I find I make the worst mistakes when I am hurrying to be done with one project and anxious to be on to another. I think my brain checks out and spends whatever power it has contemplating the new/next thing to knit. Super frustrating because I can't seem to tame the 'hurry hurry hurry and finish' mania. Then actually finishing takes twice as long!

kathy b said...

Ohm gosh. Not the baby blanket! Hope it all comes out in the wash. Thanks for the madelinetosh heads up.Im surprised i twas not good quality.

Renee Anne said...

CRAP CRAP CRAP, indeed!

Lucy Bowen said...

Oh no, oh no, oh no!! I'm sure that must be all of your bad luck - and I hope they are all salvageable!

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Crap! Things better look soon!

Caffeine Girl said...

Oh dear! You have had a heck of a week. So sorry about all your knitting mishaps -- especially the spilled coffee. I'm impressed that you have a way to make the blanket work.

Becki said...

Oh no! Hoping that beautiful baby blanket comes out of its soak stain free. Feeling for you, girl. Surely the bad has run its course and good is on the horizon. {{Hugs}}

Leftycrafter said...

Goodness, you have had a week for sure. Splitty yarn is the pits. Hopefully, it won't be worse after frogging back again. Running short on sock yarn is not a good thing either. If a person knows ahead of time that the yarn will be short, then a contrasting heel and toe helps but not if you haven't a clue until after the heel is turned. Good luck in the coming week.

Stefanie said...

Awww, sorry for these mishaps. I understand your frustration with your sock projects. I'm starting a sock right now; I'll be seeing if the gauge is okay later on.

Gracey is not my name.... said...

OM GOSH! What a week.....I love Madtosh, but I've heard not to use the sock yarn for socks.....and the blanket.....I'd be so mad! I hope it comes out stain free....hugs...

Ruth said...

Oh noooooooooooooo!!!! What a crap week you've had. The socks are just so darn frustrating, I hope the yarn isn't too much more splitty when you frog them. Perhaps now is the time to frog them and start them anew and get rid of all that crap last week in the act of frogging them. As for the baby blanket, I feel like crying right along with you and I do so hope that yesterday saw the stains come out and not the bleach today, should it have to come out then white is still a gorgeous colour on babies and the blanket will still look great.