Is This a Curse?

For a while there, I was starting to think my knitting was cursed. But let me back up a bit.

I managed to finish the design sample I was working on Friday evening, so for lunchtime knitting this week, I figured I'd get the other sample done (I'm doing two different colorway pairings). The yarn was already wound, and the needles I used for the first version were still in my project bag, so I didn't have to do much to get everything together to start. Then things started to go wrong.

First, I managed to cast on four extra stitches. That wasn't a big deal, because it was easy to drop those extra four off the needle -- it just meant extra counting to double check (and more time counting is less time knitting). Then, while knitting the first half of the first round -- just the first half! -- I managed to lose my ability to count to two reliably. I had to tink and reknit not once, not twice, but three(!) times. I finally thought I was on my way and my counting issues were behind me when the next disaster struck: I pulled on the cable of the needle to get set up for the start of the next round (I'm knitting magic loop), and the cable pulled completely out of the end of the needle and about 30 live stitches. It will probably surprise you not much at all when I tell you that this was a Knit Picks interchangeable needle -- this is not the first time this has happened to me.

Fortunately this yarn is not too slippery and the stitches didn't drop, so I was able to push the cable through them and get it back into the hole in the end of the needle. I figured that it would stay put as long as I didn't tug on the cable too hard, at least long enough for me to get a bit more knitting done during my lunch break. I started again, only to realize that somehow I had twisted my knitting and it was too late to fix it. At that point, the only solution was to completely rip out the two rounds I had knit and start over.

I'm happy to say that the second attempt went much smoother. I counted correctly and didn't twist my cast on, and last night I transferred the whole piece over to a pair of Addi Rockets (I am thanking past me for being wise enough to buy a 40 in. size 7!). I'm already about a third of the way through the piece, so I'm hoping there are no further hiccups.

I love corrugated ribbing!

In un-cursed knitting news, I am on the home stretch of the baby blanket. I finished square number 7 and started number 8 last night. It's a good thing I'm almost done with it, because the baby was born last night! I may block the squares I have done this evening so that once the last two are done I can begin seaming. If the new parents are up for it, we may take them lunch or dinner this weekend, and it would be nice to deliver a finished blanket as well!