#61. Tink and Repeat

Love the process, love the process, love the process I had to repeat to myself as a mantra.  I’m knitting a summer top for my daughter.  The pattern seems fairly simple.  Mistake #1.  I’ve done wrap and turn short rows before so after a quick review of a video off I go.  After several inches, the edges seem to have some puckers.  Double check the wrap and turn video, yep been doing some backwards and probably not being consistent this creating the puckers.  Rip out #1. Not too bad only several inches.

Start again.  Yep, no puckers.  Going great.  Get to the end of the section.  Uhh, I don’t think I’m supposed to have these “tails”.  Double check the “easy” pattern.  Oops.  Was supposed to K1 or P1 after each wrap and turn so that the wraps were 2 stitches apart not 1.  Great if I wanted the top to hang down to her knees.  😠  Rip all the way back to the beginning. 

I think third time is a charm.  I’ve completed the back and almost done with the front.  Should complete this weekend.

Lessons learned; a) really read and absorb each part of the instructions.  Highlight, especially stiches following a complex stitch such as wrap and turn.  b) try to visualize each section so can see if on track (much easier said than done) c) be careful with “easy” patterns so don’t miss “easy” instructions.

Fortunately since it was an “easy” pattern, ripping out wasn’t hard and rebutting went fairly quickly.

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#60 Beach Knitting

I’m not really a beach person despite that our family vacations were always to the beach on St. Martin.  We no longer go there after Hurricane Irma destroyed the island a few years ago.  Even when we went to Naples this past winter we never went to the beach.

But our good friends, Jim and Barbara Cleary, own a wonderful beach house in Duck, NC.  It is literally on the beach.  So much like what made the resort in St. Martin tolerable for me, I can easily walk back to the house for a bathroom break or a drink.  We are so fortunate that they invite us for a visit each summer.

Now that I’ve become a knitter, I enjoy knitting on the beach.  I even created a “beach” knitting bag.  I found that the wine bags that grocery stores give you when you buy 6 or more bottles of wine, never a problem, is perfect for storing a project on the beach.  It keeps sand from getting in and on my “real” knitting bag, a quilted tote.  The ball of yarn can unwind easily in it’s section of the bag.  It also stores my wireless ear buds and an old phone I use as an audiobook player.  It’s a perfect beach tote.  It’s also a little fun to do something different for vacation knitting.