Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Unraveled Wednesday 04-03-19


Good Morning!

A bit warmer this morning – low 30’s…but there was frost on my windshield when I started my car.  Oy!  Heard on the radio that they are doing controlled burns in Valley Forge Park today in an effort to control invasive plant species. 

So, here we are mid-week, hump day, Unraveled Wednesday.  And yes, there has been a bunch of unraveling.  I did manage to finish the first Shell Cottage sock on Monday – not at work, but before dinner.  Here is the proof:


  
That night I started sock #2.  I did the ribbing (15 rows) and about 12 rows of the pattern (4 row repeat).  The knot stitch was still a PITA.  Tuesday morning I knit 4 more rows while having coffee.  At that point I decided ENOUGH!  I don’t like the socks.  The first one does go on my foot, but it is tighter than any other sock I have ever knit and the yarn does not feel good on my foot or leg.  I said it before – this yarn is just weird.  It gets very thin and then thicker – almost like thin roving (as Nancy said on her blog yesterday about yarn she is using).  It splits easily and is difficult to work with.  Folks – life is just too short to knit things I don’t like.  I could finish that second sock, but I doubt I would ever wear them.  So last night I unraveled the beginning of Sock #2 and put the yarn away (really I should toss it or donate it – someone might like it for something!!).

Moving along to Mailing’s Hitchhiker.  That was also unraveled!  Yup.  Fortunately I ended up being busy at work yesterday and didn’t get to knit more than 8 rows (1 pattern repeat), but I decided that I wasn’t loving it on #2 needles.  The eyelets weren’t really showing up (and I do know that blocking would improve that), but also it was a tighter knit than I wanted.  After unraveling that, I tried about 3 different size needles and finally decided on #5.  I managed to knit a little bit last night and then this morning I did a bit more.



Loving the way the eyelets really show now and this is just a nice, soft knit.

Moving on to reading.  Fletch and I finished reading The Zookeeper's Wife last night.  Yes, we are late to this book.  And we have not seen the movie.  Not sure I want to now.  The book is good – well written, but I think I’ve read enough books dealing with the WWII era to last me a long, long time.

On my personal reading front I am still in a slump (unheard of!!).  NOTHING is appealing to me or grabbing my attention.  Last night I ended up deleting a bunch from my Kindle and today I plan to start Island – a book that I had given Fletch a few years back that he really enjoyed.  It is a group of short stories focusing on people who came to “the harsh new world” from Scotland.  Flipping through the pages last night felt good (so different than my Kindle).  Maybe what I’ve been longing for is to just hold a *real* book in my hands.  I’ll let you know.

Today could end up being quite busy again.  I’ve been doing a lot of stuff for Bobby, our CEO, this week.  I always enjoy working with/for him…but it does cut into my personal time – lol.  Tomorrow there will be no knitting at work as we are having an employee meeting/luncheon off site at Season's 52.  I love this restaurant and am hoping that we can just go home after lunch!!

Be sure to head over to Kat's to see what others are up to on this Unraveled Hump Day.

18 comments:

  1. I think your Hitchhiker will be gorgeous - and well loved! Thanks for the book recommendation - I have added Island to my read list!

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  2. I'm all for ditching things that make you Fussy whenever you can. Life is short, and sometimes, if you have the choice, better to Just End The Misery rather than Be A Martyr.

    Hooray for you! I know you'll be happy with all your decisions.

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  3. Sorry about all the unraveling, but it's for the best! Those socks have plagued you from the start, and a nice, soft Hitchhiker will be a pleasure for both you and Mailing. Island does sound intriguing, so I hope it helps with the slump. Have a lovely lunch (and hopefully a nice afternoon off)!

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  4. Sorry to hear about the sock (especially since I have that same yarn)! But, I think it's for the best.

    Mailing's Hitchhiker is going to be beautiful.

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  5. We're up to about 45 right now, but the wind is up and it's cold. I've promised Burt I'd take him outside this afternoon, but he hates the wind so I doubt it will last long.
    Sorry about the sock - but you're right... life it too short to knit things you don't like. Focus on what makes you happy!

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  6. One of the nice things about knitting is that projects can be raveled and the yarn used for something else, and in some cases used by someone else. I usually don't keep yarn if I've struggled with it on two projects. The sock looks nice, but if it's not an enjoyable knit or doesn't feel good on your foot then FROG it.

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  7. That’s the wonderful thing about making things ourselves. If we don’t like the way it’s turning out then just rip it! I think the sock looks nice, but then again I’m not wearing it. I give a yarn three chances and if I still don’t like it, it gets donated or given away. I hope you get to go to lunch and then home tomorrow. Short days were always nice when I was working. Blessings, Betsy

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  8. I had to unravel a sock myself last night. I cast on something new and was knitting away to a true crime podcast when I felt something wasn't right. I had cast on the wrong number of stitches. My go to CO is 56 for lady socks and I had done only 52 for a reason I can't explain. Argh....

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  9. Amen to abandoning a project that isn't bringing joy or fun. Life is too short for that. I often unravel shawl beginnings to get the fabric I want. Glad that the hitchhiker is back on the right sized needles. Knit on.

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  10. Good for you for saying ENOUGH!!! Sometimes yarn just disappoints. I liked the zookeepers wife and i usually do not like war movies

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  11. I’ve been in a reading slump too. Lots of good books in my stack so I hope that will change soon.

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  12. Good for you for just letting that sock/yarn combination go! Life is just too short to be unhappy with something you're doing for fun!

    When I get in reading slumps, I usually try to really mix things up. . . re-reading a book I loved as a child, reading a completely different genre (for me, I usually turn to mysteries), OR . . . that's when I pick up something like a Stephen King novel. He's a great storyteller, his books are usually very compelling to read, and it's just different enough for me that it usually gets me out of my slump. Good luck!

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  13. Beautiful knitting and yay for undoing and going back at it. I'm reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and it's not great in my mind. Maybe I will change my mind though. I do love the books that grab my attention.

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  14. Huge fan here, too, about abandoning those socks ... but when will you unravel sock #1?! I do like the HH better on size 5's ... guess I'll need to pay attention to the needle size when I eventually cast on :-) and my advice about a reading slump is PODCASTS! I'm not even in a slump and I'm finding the podcasts to be more compelling than the pages.

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  15. I'm glad you threw in the towel on those socks.. cut your losses. Your time is too valuable to spend it on something that isn't making you happy. We started watching "The Zookeepers Wife" and it got so horrific that I told my husband to turn it off. I can never unsee that girl with the bloodied dress.. those things haunt me. Glad you sorted out the HH.. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  16. Such a bummer you had to rip out the hitch hiker! Too bad about the socks too. Definitely doesn't sound worthwhile to knit though. Not worth it to knit something you don't enjoy and that you don't think you will actually wear. It's definitely nice to hold a real book once in a while. My problem is that I read on the treadmill a lot, and balancing a real book on the treadmill is tough! Thus the Kindle for me. Have a great weekend!

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  17. Bummer on the sock-throw it away is right!
    The changes to the Hitchhiker sound like good decisions!

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  18. Hope your work lunch was yummy. I am having a horrible time getting interested in a book to read. I am listening to a series and I love that but a book before bed isn't happening for me right now. Have a wonderful weekend.

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