Increasingly Lacey

Wow, I am counting and counting and counting again. It's the only way to preserve my sanity. Keep counting. First, it was 91. I was counting to 91 for about 12 rows. Then the lace pattern began to follow the "fancy rib" at the hem. I was counting to 91 over and over again. After the lace row and then after the purl row. Then came row 5 and I had to start counting to 93. Then it said to keep increasing one stitch at each end of every following 9th and 12th row. So now I'm counting to 95, then 97 and I'm almost to the 99 they say I need. Still counting and counting and counting. The interesting part of all of this is I am somehow supposed to stay in pattern (meaning half the lace pattern on each end) while I add these rows in. This is giving me another headache. So slowly I continue and slowly I count. Not staying in the pattern. I'm waiting until I get to 99.

Basically, I'm working on the back panel of that Rowan sweater (the Marianne in magazine No. 37) and it's making me count a lot. I realize this is a rather paranoid way to knit and not my first choice, but it is so pretty that I couldn't bear to mess it up - or worse - figure out how to rip it back if I do. Just keep counting. Make sure all of those stitches are where they are supposed to be. The lace is lovely and I'm at least enjoying the satisfaction of "hey, I made that." Well, if I don't give up because I go insane from counting. We'll just have to see.

The best part of this entire project is the Addis for Lace. I totally recommend these to anyone making lace or even just working with a delicate yarn. I'm working in kidsilk haze (which I think I have a slight obsession with). Beyond any doubt, these are the best needles I've found to work the stuff.

To balance out all of this counting, I can't work on the sweater all the time, so I finished a totally cute little dish clothe to try out a cable stitch which the other famous C assured me I could handle. And, I'm of course putting in a few rows at a time on the blanket. It may someday actually be finished. Miracle of miracles.

Going to get my digital camera software loaded up on my computer this week so I can share some pics of the work in progress (and maybe the cute dish clothe as well.