You'd think I would have learned my lesson.
You see, I am not a fast knitter. I'm a thrower. I plan to teach myself how to knit Continental at some point, with the right project, to speed things along a little bit. But for now, I just enjoy the process as it is.
So, every night I wait until the boys are in bed and I either read or knit until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. This doesn't always last very long. And every year, about the time the first leaf hits the ground, I start to plan my annual knit Christmas gift.
Note the lack of "s". Gift. Not gifts. Again, not a fast knitter.
Last year, I spent over two months knitting a scarf for my father-in-law before Christmas came. The scarf was still on the needles. It was a little over half finished when the in-laws left for Florida. I finished it just in time to give to him when he came home in the spring.
It was a great scarf, though. A 2x2 rib on size 8 needles, with just randomly placed x's where I twisted the ribs. Some were twisted to the left, some to the right. Some close together, some twenty rows and ten ribs apart. I was really quite proud of it. A very sophisticated, manly look in charcoal grey.
Sure wish I'd gotten a picture.
This year, it was my mother-in-law's turn to be the recipient and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at a lace pattern. I'd seen a fair number of lace patterns done with chunkier yarns that I really liked, and I had some Tahki Shale in grey and black that reminded me of her.
I found the pattern for Mermaid Mesh, and it worked up surprisingly quick on size 11 needles. It was a little wider than I would have liked, so if I had it to do over I might have used a 10 or 10 1/2, but it was quite nice none the less. An excellent showcase for the yarn, and not too bad for my first lace pattern. I only had to start over once, early on, and I learned to pay a bit more attention to what I was doing.
And I actually finished it in time. It was hand washed, blocked out, dry, and wrapped up for Christmas Day.
Sure wish I'd gotten a picture.
Maybe there will be a little photo session at their house one of these days. They'll be leaving for Florida again soon. Can't imagine they take their scaves with them.
