Blue black holes, stellar lifeforms

This appears to be an ordinary ball of sock yarn.

It is not.

It sits there, in its recurrent completeness, representing a space-time anomaly that sucked ten hours of knitting time out of my life.

The skein became a ball several months ago to start Marina Piccola.  Before getting around to swatching a stitch count for Marina, I decided it was the perfect yarn for Monkeys. 

The twisted rib was fun.  The start of the lace was not.  I define the concept of the tight knitter.  But I could not solve the laddering problem that goes with a purl stitch at the start of each needle.  I searched Ravelry for hints.  Clues.  A few did the pattern all in knit stitches.  (They appeared to be contrarians.)  I seemed to be the only knitter amongst the 4415 to find these purl ladders cosmetically damaging.

Life is too short and death is too long.  I frogged it. 

The yarn ball sat silently, biding its infinite time.  I searched for an interesting pattern where I could use the K1P1 twisted ribbing.  Aha!  Crosswalker socks!  Twenty rows into this pattern, I noticed a dimple at the junction of ribbing and leg.

It is visible at twelve o'clock in the picture, where ribbing meets leg.  I threaded a dental floss life line, took it off the needles, and tried it on.  Pooching ensued.  The sock won't lie flat on my ankle.  I put the stitches back on the needle, and put it aside for a day or two to think about it.

That's when the sock tried to kill itself.

The k2tog stitch jumped off a cliff, and laddered down four rows.

Rescue happened.  Then I brought it to knitgroup for consultation.  Knitgoddess Lorrie discussed the mechanics of what was happening.  Because the decrease/increase pattern forms a V of stitches, there was no place for the top of the V to go.  It met a straight line at the ribbing.  That meant its only option was up and out.  She did not think it would block out. 

I frogged it, AND the ribbing today.  It is back in the stash, where, like in the Government Warehouse scene in the first Indiana Jones movie, it will be lost for eternity amongst a million similar skeins.  I'm hoping that time dilutes the curse.

Meanwhile, back at the stash, lack of knitting and spinning mojo rules.  My current intervention strategy has been startitis.

Celtic Braid sock, by Cabin Fever, in Shibuiknits, color #2955.

So far, so good.  The pattern is just complex enough to be entertaining. 

And this is Bosnian mitten #1 from Blackberry Ridge.  It is my first colorwork. 

I am mostly thrilled by how it came out.  It certainly isn't perfect.  The aforementioned tightness of knitting is evident in some rampant puckering.  However, it is quite acceptable for a first attempt.  And it was wildly fun to knit.  Colorwork has seemed like an impossibly high bar to aim for.  Now it is possible.  In the tradition that what is worth doing is worth overdoing, I've acquired the Jamieson & Smith yarn to do two of Ann Feitelson's designs.  J&S are discontinuing some of their colorways.  Those don't include the ones needed to do my two sweater choices, but one never can predict how that particular yarn breeze will blow.

Today is Mr. Etherknitter's birthday.  Although this year's number is more painful than many, I keep reminding him that the alternative is not better.

I am so lucky to have found this guy.  He is intelligent, kind, handsome, selfless, creative, and funny.  Happy birthday to one of the best lifeforms ever to grace the planet!

Comments

[Caroline M]

Happy birthday Mr E. You may not believe this but I have just photographed a cake to send to you because you are one day younger than my son. He thinks that's the way it works anyway and he's eight tomorrow so you must be eight today.

Mrs E - I am a no purl Monkey knitter but that's just because all knits are very much faster for me than a knit/purl combo

[Paula]

Your first colour work looks great! Don't judge yourself too harshly. Even with optimum tension stranded work puckers a bit until blocked. A warm bath does wonders. Take the mitten with you.

ps Happy Birthday Mr. E!

[Catherine]

Happy Birthday Mr. E! I hope the frosty face in the pic is just the result of skiing on a snowy day, and not a faceplant!

I have problems with the purl at the beginning of the needle, too, but I've found the looseness/laddering always blocks out. Looks awful while I'm working on it, but I've learned to ignore that. Pretty yarn - I hope it finds its way back to the needles soon.

[Norma]

Happy Birthday, Mr. E!

I, too, and a super-tight knitter, and I, too (like Catherine) have found that the laddering is a temporary problem that comes out in the wash later.

[margene]

A hearty Happy Birthday to Mr. E from the two of us in Utah!!
Some balls of yarn are never meant to be knit...that's just how the universe works.

[--Deb]

Happy birthday, Mr. Etherknitter! It seems like I'm forever telling people that getting older is better than the alternative--and that you don't have to count the years, you just celebrate that you're here, and loved ... and that you get cake and presents. How is that possibly a bad thing? (grin)

[Lucia]

Happy birthday, Mr. E! Mr. Fuchsia (aka Grant) has survived that milestone nicely; if he can do it, so can you.

I love the blues. Condolences on the froggage. The solution will become obvious, but when? Ah, that is the question.

[Theresa]

Happy Birthday to Mr. E! I do notice that in your startitis, none of those seem to be for him. Hmmm . . .

[Carole]

Happy Birthday, Mr. E!

[Suzanne]

Happy Birthday Mr. E.

Lovely blue yarn.

[Kim]

Happy Birthday Mr. E!!

I agree....life is too short to knit something that does not bring joy. I love what you ended up with...VERY nice!

[Cheryl S.]

Great job with your mitten! I also just recently discovered the joy of colorwork. Blocking will definitely help even out the stitches. Happy birthday to Mr. E!

[Marcia Cooke]

Happy Birthday, Mr. E....I'll bet mine just past beats yours! And I may have some interesting DV news for you in the very near future!

[Teresa C]

Happy Birthday Mr. Etherknitter! Hope it was all he wanted it to be. And lucky, other Dr. E, for snatching him up!

[Angie]

Happy Birthday to Mr. Etherknitter! May you have many pleasant adventures this coming year.

[Teyani]

poor little sock yarn, destined for frogging. You know, it might look nice in crosshatch lace (by Charlene Schurch). I curse those yo's before a purl as well... and just end up yanking hard on the next two stitches.
Great mittens.
Adorable hubbie - happy birthday to him!

[Manise]

Happy Birthday Mr. E! Hope the celebratory fun went off without hitches! He is a keeper :-) The sock suicide was inevitable it looks like. Glad the discovery was made in it's early stages. Love the starts of the new one! And you first colorwork? Beautiful!

[Ruth]

Happy birthday, Mr. E! You're not only a day younger than CarolineM's son ... you're a day OLDER than Her Ladyship. Clearly, those born at the end of March are the Best Sort of People.

[Ruth]

Wait a minute. Maybe you're also a day older than HL and she and Caroline's son were born on the same day (plus or minus a few years).

I confuse easily.

[PumpkinMama]

Happy Birthday Mr. E! The yarn will decide what it wants to be - maybe it just needs more time to rest.

[Wendy]

Happy birthday, Mr. Etherknitter!

Don't you hate it when you unsuspectingly cast on with a ball of yarn that is pure evil?

[Anne]

Happy birthday to Mr. E!!!

Did I totally brainwash you into getting those mittens? Are they not a total complete hoot to knit (and fast too)??!?

[Jan]

Happy Birthday to Mr. Etherknitter! I hope his day was great!

[Rachel H]

Happy belated Birthday to Mr. E!

[Chris]

Happy Birthday, Mr. E!!! I'll go have a piece of birthday brownie and a cuppa in his honor. He looks adorable all frosty like that, but I hope you thawed him out before giving him a big birthday kiss.

Color knitting is You! I love your mitten!