Newbie = Slow-Bee buzzzzzzzzz

There's something really exciting about being able to say this. I don't know why. I don't know why I should be as pleased as punch, but there you go.

I am DONE with Clue #1!

In fact, I am on Row 109 in Clue #2!

A little here, a little there, I snuck in some knitting on my Mystery Stole #3 with my early early morning coffee over a few days time. I like working on this in the AM; my stitching seat is in a bay window with the sun rising over my shoulder. It makes the black yarn so easy to work with compared to the tungsten PM glow that might come later.

Path of the Newbie: but of course, first of all, I printed out the charts and taped them together to make one big one. I'm using an 18" steel ruler right on the chart to *highlight* the pattern row. It has a strip of cork on the backside so it doesn't slip around and the whole thing just sits on the couch cushion next to me. I like the fact that I can see the preceding rows clearly with no markup.

I am also using a click-type counter for my row count. I love these things -- it tickles my inner geek to no end to get to the end of a row and CLICKit.

Here's a bunch of different row counters I have. I'm using the one on the lower left for this project. Wonder why they're all red? ;p

As I get more deeply into this project, I keep having those daylight in the swamp moments -- the main one being immersed into the essence of the knitting. For instance, after several pattern rows of the borders on either side, I became more comfortable knowing I was totally on track with the graph -- the design moves back and forth in a natural flow. Where the SSK's or the K2TOG's fall let you know repeatedly that you are in the right place and they become touch points for an entire area.

The symmetry of the piece is soothing to me as well. I know if I made it to the center point without Wonking Out, chances are that I will successfully make it to the end of the row with no problem.

But even with all this new found karma, around Row 69 I fell down. Nothing wrong with the chart or instructions -- I, for no particular reason, went off-count and just couldn't figure out WTF I was doing for many many minutes. Instead, I sat in the glow of the table lamp (yup, PM insanity) and stared at the stole moving my head back and forth like at a tennis match until I almost made myself dizzy. FINALLY I noticed that a space was on one side and not on the other and found the exact mistake: missed YO! Only two rows down. Not TOO painful.

I am so happy I switched to the larger needle size (#4 - 3.5mm)! Now the YO's are specific and more open and when giving the surface of the stole the Big Picture treatment, it was easy to see if I was on track.

Luckily, I'm still in love with the feel of that Baby Merino and it was just double the pleasure to knit it again.

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