Post-Rotation Grog

Uggh...if there is one thing I've learned, it's that I should not do anything both complicated and yarn-related the day after I'm off of my rotation.

At least I took this lesson to heart yesterday, when I went to my local yarn shop and, instead of knitting the double-cable sock pattern I'm making with the Zauerball, I brought the felted cat bed I'm making for Axl.  I know...big deal.  But it's on big needles, in garter stitch, there is no actual pattern (just garter stitch for miles until I run out of yarn), and I'll survive if I drop a stitch.  Last week, I was making a Templeton square for the knitty.com design contest, and I dropped stitches on three different needles in three different rows.  The pattern itself is easy for a decent knitter like myself, but picking up a yarnover from three rows below when I'm not thinking clearly in the first place is no fun at all.

So after sleeping for over twelve hours, I started looking at my yarn.  I am in the middle of a pair of socks, I need to make another pair of socks, make a bag for a housewarming gift for someone, finish the i-cord on the kimono sweater (it won't die), finish the cat bed, and make a list of stuff I have to do this week.

So what did I do?  I opened the drawer of unfinished projects I have and decided to rip one of them out.

Notice this was not on either the knitting list, or the less-specific other stuff to do for the week list, for the day.

But whatever...I took a shawl I started ages ago and decided that for some reason, I needed the 32" size US5 needle off of it, so I may as well re-ball the yarn.  I pull from the inside of the ball, so no big deal...I could just wind on the ball winder from the end on the outside of the ball.  Except that I couldn't find that end.

Seriously.

After ten minutes of flipping the half-used ball over in my hands, and continuing to look for a straggly piece of yarn, I gave up and realized I was going to have to rip this sucker out and use the cast-on end.  This was a shawl that was knit by making the entire border first, and then short-rowing the middle.  I was about halfway through the 440-yard ball.

Well, if you have ever tried to wind previously-knitted yarn, then you know that knots form for no reason.  It took me 20 minutes to wind this freaking ball.

Then what did I do?  I realized I wanted another ball of sock yarn wound.  I think I picked the worst skein EVER to wind...it may as well have been Malabrigo (dearest Malabrigo...I love your yarn and promote the crap out of it because it's so awesome, but your skeins are wound as if the person who looped them around was too hammered to drive) but it was actually by Dragonfly Fibers.  Axl, who has been known to crawl into my lap while I'm knitting and not be bothered with the colorful string flying about his face, found the yarn swift completely fascinating.

After realizing that maybe I was not awake enough to knit, I received a phone call that I'm hoping will change my life a bit.  More on that later, but I need to get off of my butt and do something.  Stitch(es) in Winnetka has their monthly Sit N Stitch tonight, and it's about time I actually started firing up my column again.