Time-Out

Normally, I'm pretty good about always intending to finish a project completely once I've found it as a UFO in my stash pile. I almost never have to put a project aside because it's too frustrating. They usually just get shoved aside because something that seems more exciting comes along.

Durring our move at the end of June, I found all sorts of projects that I had completely forgotten about. One, in particular, was a pair of socks from Cookie A's first book "Sock Innovation". I love the yarn that I was using because it's soft & has bright colors in gradual color changes. The pattern that I picked for my first Cookie A. sock is called "Devon". This pattern is what I would imagine you would get if you made argyle a texture instead of a color-work technique.

I haven't worked much with charts or lace (never lace in the round) and this pattern had 5 separate charts for the lace. After a few issues with getting going on the first sock I finished most of it then, apparently, it was absorbed back into the stash when I was one repeat away from starting the toe. And that's where it's been languishing since February. When I found it and realized that I was so close, I started back in on it and didn't have any problems with finishing it up in a day or so.

Thinking that I had this whole charted-lace-in-the-round-thing down, I cast-on the second sock and got to work on the ribbing. I made it all the way to starting the first chart and was a couple of rounds into it when I realized that the ribbing didn't match with the pattern. After looking closer, I realized that I worked the chart for the cuff backwards and was working the lace pattern in the opposite direction. So, rather than confuse myself further, I just ripped out the whole thing and started over.

This time I made it all the way through the first few rounds of the gussets before I noticed the mistake. I'm not sure how, but somewhere along the process of starting the chart for the top of the foot and shaping the gussets I messed-up the patterning. Severely. I tried dropping down and re-working the pattern a few different ways, but I just couldn't get it to sit right. So, I ripped it out again out of frustration.

I'm putting this project in time-out for a bit and maybe I'll pick it back up in another six months or so when I've forgotten why I banished it. Hopefully, I won't make the same mistakes again and will just be able to enjoy knitting it rather than being super frustrated. Maybe I'll find some easier lace knitting to work on in the meantime...

^_^