Fine. The thought behind it was noble; I'll buy myself a tiara and get on with my life!
I had cast on a billion and four stitches (I remember the cast-on number had to be divisible by four), intending to knit this the long way so that as I added yarn, the ends could become part of the fringe (rather than weave them in, which I dislike doing). It was to be a long shawl, at least 6 feet, and one row lasted a lifetime. Then, I started eyeballing my supply of yarns and thought perhaps I could stretch the stash by combining a couple of thinner yarns for a few rows.
A ball of purple eyelash, beefed up with some... what, mohair?... and that provided yarn enough for several rows.
That's where it all fell apart, figuratively and literally. The hairiness of the... what, mohair?... combined with the extra threads of the eyelash made it impossible to keep stitches accounted for, and after a few rows I found I had dropped some. It would be impossible to figure out where, as the pattern I was using was full of yarn overs and slip stitches (to make the lacy pattern, natch). I hated this shawl project now. But I couldn't let it go.
Then, through links-of-links (like friends-of-friends), I found the Yarn Harlot. I've been catching up by reading her blog from the beginning (I'm a complete-ist; it's what I do) and, through following her (mis)adventures with casting on entire backs of sweaters, knitting for 4-12 inches, then tearing it all out again, I was finally able to see a way out of this thing. Again, through links-of-links-of-links (how soon before I end up at Kevin Bacon's blog?) I discovered that eyelash and... what, mohair?... yarn is difficult for better knitters than I. Why am I still attached to the idea of torturing myself further with this awful project?
So I tore it all out. Every last stitch of it. Happy Christmas to me!
I've no idea why I cast on with the two smaller wads in this picture (lumpy and fringy). I can't find any more of the lumpy yarn, so maybe that was one way of putting this little bit to use. Or maybe not--who knows? Certainly not me!
OH! I just found the reason (screen shots in my Knitting projects folder): I was using a 2-yarn method of casting on, because then I didn't have to guess how long to make the initial slip stitch (then tear out all the casting-on when I ran out of yarn, guess again, tear back again, repeat far too many times to be fun) for my usual long-tail cast-on method of getting started. So I probably do have more of the lumpy; I simply haven't uncovered it yet.
As I was frogging (rip-it! rip-it!) and rolling, I was thinking I'd rather be making hats to give to the homeless, and perhaps I could use the... what, mohair?... in a decorative row or two as the better knitter than I (link above) did. But I was concerned it would shrink terribly the first time it was washed, and thereby make the hat unwearable. Should I separate it out from the eyelash yarn, soak it in hot water, then find something to put it in so I could run it through the drier without it turning into a tangled, useless mess? Was I becoming penny-wise, days-foolish?
Why the fuck don't I just look in my stash and see if there's any more of this... what, mohair?... with a identity band and washing instructions?
Problem solved.
And this just never gets old.
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