Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Only Knitting Can Make One So Delusional!


Yes, only knitting can make one so delusional. That "one" is actually me. When we were at Maryland Sheep and Wool, we passed the famous Designer Tess booth. It boasts very colorful gorgeous yarns and patterns. There is always a line at the checkout area, and well, bottom line....I didn't resist the draw this year. I scouted out their patterns. It was hard to do in May, looking at worsted weight yarn for a sweater or some heavier garment. But I managed! Ha! Ha! I picked a pattern for a vest. I know. You read it correctly. I wrote "A VEST." I am not usually the "vesty" type of person, I simply don't wear them. But I thought this looked pretty simple, and it had that simple selling line. "One skein makes this beautiful, easy vest!" Can you see the 1950's advertisement for it in your mind? I can, and I did. I was sold. Especially on the color (the dichroic bead hanging from a necklace displayed with it may have drawn me in slightly more as well). I bought the yarn and the pattern. It is the most gorgeous shade of blue. I love me some blue. I got it home, and low and behold. The only size that calls for one skein is a size...........wait for it...........SMALL. Now, maybe 10 years ago, I could have shoved my rather "blessed" self into a small, but no way, no how now, Mama. So, I, encompassed by the yarn fumes, figured, well, I'll e-mail the company. The display model surely would have fit me, and I asked what size that was. Of course the answer was...........wait for it again, please.........."oh, it's a SMALL." I am beginning to hate the "small" word. Again, empowered by overwhelming yarn fumes to cast this project onto some needles, I did what any sensible knitter would do. I started knitting with said yarn, and then I measured gauge. Yes, you read it correctly again. I actually checked my gauge (albeit, after the knitting commenced, but still), and was paying attention, and really trying to knit loosely on those size US #7's. I GOT GAUGE. Yesterday, on my day off, I was happily knitting away on the vest, watch "Pride and Prejudice" in between throwing softball with the youngest, outdoors, in the afternoon heat....where was I? Oh yeah, happily knitting away on the back of the vest, coming down to the decrease rows, when I held it up and REALITY hit me. Truly, I felt the smack of it on my cheek (of my face of course). There was NO WAY I was fitting into this vest. No way, no how. I think I have enough yarn to EEK out a medium. It will be close, but the yarn cake left is still pretty size able, and I have maybe 30 rows to go yet. I think I might give it a whirl. Why not? The yarn fumes seem to be powering my delusional thinking that a small would fit.....why not see if I can knit the medium with one skein of the worsted weight yarn?
Dang those yarn fumes......they sucked me into the play next week too! Where's the chocolate?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

If you knit really fast, the yarn doesn't run out. So try that. It (sometimes) works for me!

How could you pass up that blue color??? It's GORGEOUS!

Morticcia said...

LOL! I read and I said to myself yup, that's me and then yup, that's me, again. LOL.

It'll be a gorgeous vest and maybe all it will need is some vigorous blocking. Knitting is all about the magic, right?

Which P&P version?

Minerva Turkey said...

I can absolutely relate. The color is breathtaking.