Elation Despair Elation

12:00 Noon Wednesday

Back as far as armholes - Leftovers Vest

This amount of knitting was actually done yesterday. Today, before getting too far into the project, I decided to take it off the needles and check on that old curmudgeon 'gauge'.

12:02 Dang!!!

Gauge still off. I hesitated and considered Stephanie's (www.yarnharlot.ca)'knitterly denial', but then thought better of it.

Just before 3:00 pm

Done by 3 - in time for tea. - It's a retired thing. Tea at 3. There was as ton of prep work with this project - remembering how to use the machine, getting gauge, etc. But basically, I am pretty proud of myself. I remembered how to cast off. I remembered how to do a decrease. After a quick check in the manual, I even remembered how to decrease in the middle of the row. However, that must have been a bit too stressful for me because what I forgot to do after figuring out the mid-row decrease was to put yarn in the machine. Know what happens when you forget to put yarn in the machine? The entire piece drops off and lands in your lap. Accompanied by an anguished cry. And a few less-than-polite words.

But luckily, I was able to re-hang the piece and continue on. And right now - 5:30 pm, the front is also almost done. One shoulder to go. I am trying - before March Break -to get it done to the point where all that is left to do is to hand knit the trim around the armholes and neck .

The grandkids and some of their friends are coming for a ski holiday. I can get away with a sit & knit. But I sure wouldn't want them to know there is a 'machine' in that room. That would be just way too tempting.