What A Day!

Usually the worst day of the week is Monday, but this week, I think the dubious honor will go to Tuesday. One little disaster after another at work from data problems, to customer problems, to internal server problems to critical bugs to people problems and back to server problems.

I gave up on my socks last night (just temporarily) because after my third cast on and a couple of rows I wasn't happy about what I was seeing. It seemed like I was having problem getting good tension between the stitches that were on separate needles. I was also having great difficulty holding all the needles and tensioning correctly. I started using a K1P1 rib, but I am wondering if K2P2 would have been a better approach? I think maybe I am trying to do too much learning at once.

I was also cursing the EROS (ladder yarn) that I am knitting a top secret Christmas present with. I dropped a stitch and the stuff is nearly impossible to go back and correct errors in without major ripping. Nearly thought I was going to have to start the whole thing over, but I did manage to only have to rip out just before where the drop ended. I think after this project I will be done with ladder yarn for a while. I love the way it looks, but the stuff just requires too much concentration for "quick" projects.

To soothe my nerves from socks and EROS I switched to something totally for me and totally comforting -- a scarf knitted out of Berroco Furz -- black center strand with nice soft white fuzzies (shade 3811) . I picked up this yarn when I was up in Traverse City, MI about a month ago. The woman who was working in the yarn store also gave me a very simple pattern for making a scarf with it. Since it is so simple, I don't think it would be a problem for me to pass it on. I've got a couple of inches so far and I am very happy with how it looks.

Simple Furz Scarf Pattern
(courtesy of very nice people at Lost Art Yarn Shoppe in Traverse City, MI)

1. Cast on 30 stitches
2. Knit 12 rows
3. Row 1 Knit
4. Row 2 K1, P1
5. Repeat steps 3,4 until desired length
6. Knit 12 rows
7. Bind off

The gauge for Furz is based on size 10 needles (but I am doing mine on size 10.5 because they are the only circulars I have free right at the moment). I think 3 balls of Furz are required to complete a scarf of reasonable length.

I'm thinking this might be a good "airplane project" for me. I am travelling to Paris on business next week and wanted to have a project I could take with me. Everything else besides the socks that I have going is on pretty large straight needles or just is a big project.

The Furz feels very nice to work with. It's lovely and soft and slips over my fingers and needles well. Since it has a K1, P1 row, it is giving me a good work out using tensioning that doesn't involve throwing. I hope by the time I am finished I will be comfortable enough switching back and forth with K and P stitches that the socks will be no problem at all.