So Long, Scarf
Ok, so...
I am sitting in front of this old desktop, typing this entry out. This HORRIBLE outdated beast of a computer is slow, as all get-out, and the keyboard, more often than not, acts out. You practically have to slam the keys down, with PURE BRUTAL FORCE, to even get them to do anything.
It is official. I HATE THIS COMPUTER!
Ok, now that my little 'one paragraph bitch-fest' is out of the way, we can move right on, along.
Let's talk about yesterday.
So, I finish my post, then decide to grab a quick breakfast. I make my way outside, and (CAUTIOUSLY) walk a few laps, around the property. All I can say is this. Thank GOD, there were no snakes, that decided to show themselves. I am sure, if I had so much as seen a single snake (even if it was the mere size of an earthworm), or heard a single rattle, I would have had a COMPLETE panic attack. You think the black bees scare the hell out of me. Well, I can safely say, that a snake would send me into a screaming fit, most likely followed by a fainting spell.
Anyway, once the laps were finished, I made my way to my little bistro, at the side of the porch. Waiting for me, on the table...My craft bag.
I pulled out the scarf, and began to work on it.
8 MINUTES! I swear...It is like people in this house, FRIGGIN wait. They wait for me, to get all cozy, and settle down, with my yarn. Then, as soon as they know that I am in my 'loom zone', they strike.
"Hey, I know you don't want to go anywhere," my sweetie said, while coming outside, and standing, right beside me. Naturally, my thought was, 'well, if you know this already, then why in the name of God, are you going ask me if I want to leave the house?' I kept loom knitting, not even looking up, as my sweetie continued. "But, we have to go take care of a few things. I promise, it won't be long."
(I swear...sometimes, being a grown-up, just completely SUCKS! If I were a child, I could whine, and most likely get out, of going anywhere. But, as an adult, whining over such things, is just pathetic. So, I turned to my sweetie, gave a look, which basically said 'I LOATHE YOU! Seriously, let me loom, for Heaven's sake!' Then, I threw my loom, with exaggerated force, in my craft bag, and I was dragged away from the house.)
Well...needless to say, when I was told that 'it won't be long', it was a COMPLETE LIE! It was close to a FRIGGIN eternity, before we finally managed to make our way, back home.
On the way home, I announced one thing. "When we get home, I am loom knitting, DAMMIT! I want to be left alone, so I can get some work done!"
Upon arriving home, I zoomed to my craft bag, and got started.
About an hour later, I was COMPLETELY thrilled, that the scarf had reached the length it needed to be. It was time to take the cozy, fluffy scarf, off of the loom.
Well...Binding off. I was completely lost, when it came time, to bind off, on this scarf. I mean, I know how to bind off, on a round loom. But, how would I bind off, on a long loom? Hmmm?
The pattern for this scarf, is on page 112. The section of long looms, begins on page 108. So, I flipped back, to page 108, and SEARCHED for a way, to bind off. I found the anatomy of the long loom, as well as how to do a basic cast on. A little paragraph, on anchor yarn. Basic stockinette. Rib stitch. Simple stitch. And figure 8 stitch. But, there was nothing about binding off.
So, what do I do?
Well, I bind off, using the basic bind off method, for round looms, found on page 33. (Ok...in hindsight, even I can see that this is a complete BONEHEAD move. But, yesterday, it seemed to be a good idea.)
Well, guess what? Working this bind off, was a disaster! It created a scrunched up end, to the scarf. Needless to say, this 'scrunched up end' led to one of my infamous cursing fits. Just about every curse word imaginable, flew out of my mouth. All of that work, on this scarf...and I screwed up, on the friggin bind off, and destroyed the WHOLE DAMNED THING!
I actually started crying. (Hey! Don't juge!)
When the crying stopped, about 30 minutes later (What can I say...I apparently, was in need of a good cry.), I decided that it was time, to get a little creative. Yeah! With a little bit of creativitity, I was sure that I could repair the damage, from the faulty bind-off, and save the scarf.
The solution. Deliberately scrunch the other end, then add rather dramatic fringe, to both ends.
So...You want to see the finished result? Ok...here it is!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theyarnproject/5718722753/
(I must say...While not EXACLTY what I had in mind, I am rather impressed, with how this project turned out. Hey, a little creative thinking can, in fact, save a scarf!)
So, after the emotional roller-coaster, of the bind-off boo-boo, I decided to put the yarn away, after I finished the fringe.
I went, and took one of my wonderful baths.
Then, we (my sweetie, mother, and I) went looking for a geocache, which is (so they say), right next door to us. (But, DAMMIT, we just CANNOT find it! How very annoying!)
So, this morning, while having my coffee, I started flipping through the book.
And, guesss what? Are you ready for this?
On page 116, we find a bind off, for long looms?
WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT?
4 pages, AFTER a project, using a long loom, we are still being given VITAL information, on how to work with a long loom? Is it just me, or does that seem a little bit weird?
I mean, in my opinion, the instructions for binding off, should be BEFORE all the patterns. Or, at the very least, on page 112, where the pattern is, tell us to bind off, using the method found, FOUR FRIGGIN PAGES LATER!
Maybe it is just me. But, this just seems a bit off! I mean, think about it. Let's compare this, to a recipe, for a cake.
So, we are making our cake. We are doing everything the page says. Then some stuff, in the recipe, seems a bit vague. So, we improvise, using tried and true techniques, for a cake we made, not long ago. The cake winds up, being a mushy disaster, and 4 pages later, after the recipe, we are told...'Oh yeah, by the way, DON'T FORGET THIS, WHEN MAKING YOUR CAKE, FROM 4 PAGES BACK!'
I swear...this book (at times) really makes me NEED Xanax!
So...the scarf is (while not the way originally planned) finished. Another project has been knocked out. YAY!
As for today, I am going to work on a granny square, and spend some quaility time, with the sock, in the works.
Time for me to go. I am starving, and breakfast is calling.
Happy looming!
I am sitting in front of this old desktop, typing this entry out. This HORRIBLE outdated beast of a computer is slow, as all get-out, and the keyboard, more often than not, acts out. You practically have to slam the keys down, with PURE BRUTAL FORCE, to even get them to do anything.
It is official. I HATE THIS COMPUTER!
Ok, now that my little 'one paragraph bitch-fest' is out of the way, we can move right on, along.
Let's talk about yesterday.
So, I finish my post, then decide to grab a quick breakfast. I make my way outside, and (CAUTIOUSLY) walk a few laps, around the property. All I can say is this. Thank GOD, there were no snakes, that decided to show themselves. I am sure, if I had so much as seen a single snake (even if it was the mere size of an earthworm), or heard a single rattle, I would have had a COMPLETE panic attack. You think the black bees scare the hell out of me. Well, I can safely say, that a snake would send me into a screaming fit, most likely followed by a fainting spell.
Anyway, once the laps were finished, I made my way to my little bistro, at the side of the porch. Waiting for me, on the table...My craft bag.
I pulled out the scarf, and began to work on it.
8 MINUTES! I swear...It is like people in this house, FRIGGIN wait. They wait for me, to get all cozy, and settle down, with my yarn. Then, as soon as they know that I am in my 'loom zone', they strike.
"Hey, I know you don't want to go anywhere," my sweetie said, while coming outside, and standing, right beside me. Naturally, my thought was, 'well, if you know this already, then why in the name of God, are you going ask me if I want to leave the house?' I kept loom knitting, not even looking up, as my sweetie continued. "But, we have to go take care of a few things. I promise, it won't be long."
(I swear...sometimes, being a grown-up, just completely SUCKS! If I were a child, I could whine, and most likely get out, of going anywhere. But, as an adult, whining over such things, is just pathetic. So, I turned to my sweetie, gave a look, which basically said 'I LOATHE YOU! Seriously, let me loom, for Heaven's sake!' Then, I threw my loom, with exaggerated force, in my craft bag, and I was dragged away from the house.)
Well...needless to say, when I was told that 'it won't be long', it was a COMPLETE LIE! It was close to a FRIGGIN eternity, before we finally managed to make our way, back home.
On the way home, I announced one thing. "When we get home, I am loom knitting, DAMMIT! I want to be left alone, so I can get some work done!"
Upon arriving home, I zoomed to my craft bag, and got started.
About an hour later, I was COMPLETELY thrilled, that the scarf had reached the length it needed to be. It was time to take the cozy, fluffy scarf, off of the loom.
Well...Binding off. I was completely lost, when it came time, to bind off, on this scarf. I mean, I know how to bind off, on a round loom. But, how would I bind off, on a long loom? Hmmm?
The pattern for this scarf, is on page 112. The section of long looms, begins on page 108. So, I flipped back, to page 108, and SEARCHED for a way, to bind off. I found the anatomy of the long loom, as well as how to do a basic cast on. A little paragraph, on anchor yarn. Basic stockinette. Rib stitch. Simple stitch. And figure 8 stitch. But, there was nothing about binding off.
So, what do I do?
Well, I bind off, using the basic bind off method, for round looms, found on page 33. (Ok...in hindsight, even I can see that this is a complete BONEHEAD move. But, yesterday, it seemed to be a good idea.)
Well, guess what? Working this bind off, was a disaster! It created a scrunched up end, to the scarf. Needless to say, this 'scrunched up end' led to one of my infamous cursing fits. Just about every curse word imaginable, flew out of my mouth. All of that work, on this scarf...and I screwed up, on the friggin bind off, and destroyed the WHOLE DAMNED THING!
I actually started crying. (Hey! Don't juge!)
When the crying stopped, about 30 minutes later (What can I say...I apparently, was in need of a good cry.), I decided that it was time, to get a little creative. Yeah! With a little bit of creativitity, I was sure that I could repair the damage, from the faulty bind-off, and save the scarf.
The solution. Deliberately scrunch the other end, then add rather dramatic fringe, to both ends.
So...You want to see the finished result? Ok...here it is!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theyarnproject/5718722753/
(I must say...While not EXACLTY what I had in mind, I am rather impressed, with how this project turned out. Hey, a little creative thinking can, in fact, save a scarf!)
So, after the emotional roller-coaster, of the bind-off boo-boo, I decided to put the yarn away, after I finished the fringe.
I went, and took one of my wonderful baths.
Then, we (my sweetie, mother, and I) went looking for a geocache, which is (so they say), right next door to us. (But, DAMMIT, we just CANNOT find it! How very annoying!)
So, this morning, while having my coffee, I started flipping through the book.
And, guesss what? Are you ready for this?
On page 116, we find a bind off, for long looms?
WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT?
4 pages, AFTER a project, using a long loom, we are still being given VITAL information, on how to work with a long loom? Is it just me, or does that seem a little bit weird?
I mean, in my opinion, the instructions for binding off, should be BEFORE all the patterns. Or, at the very least, on page 112, where the pattern is, tell us to bind off, using the method found, FOUR FRIGGIN PAGES LATER!
Maybe it is just me. But, this just seems a bit off! I mean, think about it. Let's compare this, to a recipe, for a cake.
So, we are making our cake. We are doing everything the page says. Then some stuff, in the recipe, seems a bit vague. So, we improvise, using tried and true techniques, for a cake we made, not long ago. The cake winds up, being a mushy disaster, and 4 pages later, after the recipe, we are told...'Oh yeah, by the way, DON'T FORGET THIS, WHEN MAKING YOUR CAKE, FROM 4 PAGES BACK!'
I swear...this book (at times) really makes me NEED Xanax!
So...the scarf is (while not the way originally planned) finished. Another project has been knocked out. YAY!
As for today, I am going to work on a granny square, and spend some quaility time, with the sock, in the works.
Time for me to go. I am starving, and breakfast is calling.
Happy looming!