Regaining Lost Ground

I have gotten a little creative with the rules for 10 Projects. The exceptions, they have happened. And most likely, will continue to happen. :) (Does that make you feel better about the weekend, Velda?)

I worked on Storybook Farm last night for a couple of hours, and finally packed it away in disgust. I bought the fabric piecemeal from local quilt stores, and wasn't always able to get fabric that fit the theme and mood perfectly. As mentioned a few days back, I spent months looking for the appropriate colours of green for the damned grass and hills in "Outstanding In His Field." I thought I had them right, but when I cut up the fabric and placed the pieces where they were meant to go, I realized I didn't. It doesn't look right... the green on the left hill is too vibrant, the bushes too blue, the grass just not quite right.



There's a couple of ways of dealing with this. The method I tried before, stuffing the project in a drawer and hoping things would sort themselves out... yeah, well, that didn't work so well. The thought of hitting every yarn store in town for more fat quarters filled my heart with despair. So I did something I am getting rather skilled at... I tapped the arcane powers of the Internet and Google, found myself a Canadian company that carried the fabric kits, and then waved my magic Visa wand in the air. See? Some problems are easier to solve than others.

Another nicety is that it will come in Block-of-the-Month format. Every month a bundle of happy *matching Hoffman batiks* (how cool is that!) will pop into my mailbox for me to turn into pretty pictures of rural farm goodness. I am relieved that I was finally pushed over the edge to this, 'cause that whole fabric thing was ticking me off. There is a chance that the two blocks I've already completed will find themselves not matching the new fabric, but there are worse things than having two extra delightful farm friends for gifts or decor.

Also in the category of "Things You Just Want To Throw Out The Window" was my happy little sock. I spent all day Saturday laughing and chatting and knitting. I completed the heel, turned it, and was just picking up the gusset stitches when I realized that I did the heel on the wrong side. With a plain sock, there really is no right or wrong; but when you're working lace, there sure is. I could have carried on, just starting the lace pattern X number of stitches in, but the attention I would have had to pay and the horror of trying to start in the middle of a K2Tog convinced me it would be faster to let 'er rip. And I did. Today at lunch I sat outside in the sunshine and regained most of the lost ground; I'll be back on track after tomorrow's Knit Night. (Unless, of course, I get talking instead of paying attention and arse it up in a new and unique fashion. Don't hold your breath.)

I know I referenced "exceptions" at the beginning of the post. You may be wondering about that, since I obviously needed the appropriate fabric to finish Storybook Farm... by the rules, that's okay. There *was* an exception. You just don't know about it yet. :) (You'll see pictures, though, 'cause I'll need to show it... them, off.)