A blog about my life, knitting, and other stuff.

June 19, 2007

A Sad Tale of Loss and Redemption (and then loss and then more redemption)

Once there was a skein of Cash Iroha. It must have been a very bad skein because its owner attacked it with a pair of scissors and cut it into very short pieces. Then she wadded it all up, put it in a plastic bag and left it in the "free" box at the November retreat. Along came Jessica who discovered the poor abused skein and took it home. One day Jessica was teaching a class on the Hand/Wrist Warmer pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. A one skein project that calls for Cash Iroha! A love match! She retrieved the poor unloved skein and cast on. She knit the first hand warmer, having to stop often to spit splice the yarn where it had been rent in two (then three then four then...you get the idea). The class ended and Jessica put her hand warmer away. And then it was forgotten. Many months passed as the half-knit hand warmer sat alone in its bag. Then, while looking for her button box, Jessica discovered the long forgotten project. She rescued it and spent a weekend evening finishing the first hand warmer. It was love and it was lovely.



Then a small voice deep inside Jessica said, "Weigh the rest of the yarn." And she did. And lo! There were 16 grams of yarn. So the little voice said, "Weigh the hand warmer." And she did. And woe! It weighed 21 grams. So with a sad heart Jessica put the hand warmer in its plastic bag and retreated to her sleeping chamber.

The next night Jessica retrieved her hand warmer and her trusty scissors and cut off the first 7 rounds. She unpicked a round and put the live stitches back on the needles. She cast off. Then she started the second hand warmer. After several rounds she realized that she had started on the wrong round.

She looked deep inside herself and thought.

"Fuck it."