Talk about frustration!!

I was very excited to start my Ogee Tunic this weekend. Saturday I got all comfy, turned on the football game and cast on for the sleeves (I do two at once). The pattern immediate starts out with a motif that is repeated four times around each sleeve. It's an easy 18 stitch repeat involving YOs and p2 tog. I repeat - easy. So if it's so easy why the heck did I have to rip it out 5 times. Yes my friends - FIVE times. My left hand was aching so badly that I put it away and worked on my socks for the rest of the evening. I went back to it Sunday thinking that perhaps my needles weren't pointed enough -- see the problem I was having was getting the needle point through the two stitches to p2 tog. I changed to my Denise needles and cast on one more time. After five rows I still was coming up with wrong stitch counts and having a hell of a time getting my needle through those two stitches to purl them together. I put it down and thought I'd go to the LYS to see if I could find more pointed needles. In the meantime I started a raglan top down with my Noro Kureyon. At 4 am this morning the light went off. It's the YOs. I always have trouble remembering that you're not supposed to put your needle into the wrap on the front of the needle, but into the back of it. This has got to be like the fourth project I've done with YOs and each time I forget and have to start over because I put my needle point in the front of the stitch and the holes are too small. So now I'm excited all over again about starting the Ogee Tunic but I think I'll work on the Kureyon project this evening anyway.

I have always wanted to make a raglan sleeved sweater with a little cable along the edge of the raglan increases. You don't want to make a fancy pattern with Kureyon because the yarn itself is so beautiful so I thought this way I could add a little interest with the small cable and not take away from the beauty of the yarn. Problem is I'm winging it and the cables didn't come out the way I had planned so back to the drawing board. I will just take the needles out and start again. I've only used one skein and working in the round that only is a few hours. I don't feel bad about ripping it out because it's going to be one gorgeous sweater.

Each year I buy wood from my dry cleaner's husband. Jennifer has been my dry cleaner for over ten years (and a husband and a few boyfriends!) and she is just the sweetest woman and she has the cutest accent. Because I don't have a boyfriend in residence at the moment, her husband won't deliver wood to me because he would have to haul it up the driveway with only little ol' me to help and he doesn't want to do that. He told Jennifer that I couldn't do it myself. So how sweet is this? She told her husband to put my wood aside and make small bundles and she will bring it up a few bundles at a time. So Saturday I went by to give her a check. I was wearing my Flower Power Shrug knit in Kureyon and she went nuts for it. I told her I'd teach her how to knit. She sits there every day just watching TV. What a bonanza of time! Can you imagine being able to knit at work?!!?? She keeps saying she can't do it but I think I'll cast on for her and bring her some yarn and needles and let her give it a go. Perhaps she just needs somebody to show her rather than try to get it out of a book.