So How Big of an Idiot are You?

This is how big of an idiot I am! Great Yarns, my favorite LYS hosts knitting in the garden on Wednesday nights. It's free, there's food, beverages (adult and otherwise), and a lovely garden to knit in. A couple of weeks ago, June 13th to be exact, I went and met my friends there and we knit for awhile. I have been wanting to knit lace for sometime, so before I left I talked to Fontelle (the owner) and told her what I wanted to do.

She went and grabbed Victorian Lace Today and I thumbed through it. I really, really wanted to make a triangle shawl with a knit on border, but I fell in love with the scarf pictured on page 36. I love it!

So, I bought the book, some Addi turbo lace needles, and two hanks of hand-died Malabrigo baby merino lace weight in shades of grey.

Finally, yesterday before work I wound the first hank into a tiny little yarn cake. I put the yarn and the needle into my work bag so I could cast on at lunch. During the day yesterday when I needed a break, I pulled the yarn and needle out of my bag and started looking for the pattern. Yep - not in the bag! IDIOT!

So, I get home and settle down on the couch with JB last night and grab my needle, the tiny little yarn cake, and the pattern. I cast on 121 stitches (I think), and count - 116 stitches; hmm; add 5 stitches; count again - 125 stitches, slip 4 stitches off the end; count again - 121 stitches! YEA (IDIOT x2 because I can't count!)

Read pattern, work 8 rows in garter stitch. Easy enough I can do that. This scarf is worked over an 18 stitch pattern. This morning, I sit down with needles, yarn, pattern ready to start knitting lace and the next bit of instructions say - work the 16 ROW pattern repeat 3 times. I read work the 16 stitch pattern - okay, well the pattern is worked over 18 stitches, which stitched do I skip? I get online, I look for errata to the pattern, none! I check the Victorian Lace Today Knit-Along to see if anyone else had a problem with this. I count stitches in the pattern, I read it again, finally I just load it all into my bag and bring it to work with me.

It wasn't until I called Wendy at Great Yarns this morning and read the pattern out loud to her that I realized what the problem was. I was reading the 16 ROWs as 16 STITCHES. IDIOT x3. So tonight I will begin working on the lace border and hopefully at this week's Knitting in the Garden I will have something to show. I should say that I have never knit lace before and this pattern is rated as Experienced, but come on! I should be able to read!!!