Trauma - not about my mother

But about the fact I can do difficult things, but struggle with easy things, like I can't work the video player and yet I can build and run my own website and have been doing so for years.

Anyway this trauma is about a very simple knitting design/stitch I think its called feather and fans or something like that, I know it as wavy.


It started back in february when I decided I would knit a cardi in alapca/silk DK, which is one of my favourite yarns.


I had already finished one long cardi in the alpaca/silk, had the sleeves sewn on and everything, I tried it on and hated it so pulled it down (or is it frogged it), was left with about a kilo of beautiful but wobbley yarn.


Originally I couldn't get the measurements right for the stitch, my tension square was either too big or too small, but I went for it anyway after a few inches the bottom edge measured 75 inches, I know I have a big bum, but its not that big! so I pulled it down again and made it smaller after a few inches it measured about 39 inches, not quite big enough around the bum to get a nice drape.


So for the next few months I knitted and frogged, knitted and frogged.


My last attempt looked good until I realised that after a few rows I had 10 more stitches than I should.

By this time my kilo of yarn was looking fairly manky and I decided I was cursed as far as wavey and alpaca/silk went.

But then it could be because I was knitting rather than crocheting, I find crochet much easier and can make very complicated medallion thingies. So I started crocheting and below you can see the result, I am still going horrifically wrong, should have 7 stitches in between the increase and decrease, sometimes its 7 or 8 or 6 or even 5.

And about 7 inches up I decided to turn it into a jumper instead of a cardi - now I am really going wrong as I joined the 2 edges together and am crocheting in a round, have decided I don't care anymore, am just going to finish and wear it! I suspect the points will turn into stripes in the next few inches......

So if you meet me at the farm or a show and I am wearing a bizarre jumper type thing, just remember the trauma I went through to make it.