Friday, January 26, 2007

Confession is good for the soul, right?

Or..... In the interest of full disclosure, part 2!

Yep, it's true, I caved AGAIN but I have another really good reason :)



As you know, the Forest Path Stole-a-Long starts on February 1, less than a week away.

Being the co-host, I've been very organized....

I wound my ginormous 1 pound hank of yarn into center pull balls.

I looked thru all my needles to pick what I thought would best suit the yarn.

I swatched with different needles and practiced the lace stitches.

And I washed and blocked my swatch to see what the finished product would look like.

I was organized and ready!! But the little voice inside my head was making quite a bit of noise! In fact she was screaming....

After almost 2 years of denial I finally admitted to myself, that I HATE the yarn I was planning to use for the FPS!


When I ordered it to be custom dyed, I sent a pic of some yarn that was cream, rosy pink and spring green. What I got was perfect except the spring green was actually a neon yellow with a bare tint of green. TOTALLY NOT THE ROSE GARDEN I ENVISIONED!!

Unfortunately, the yellow parts couldn't even be overdyed because the skein came to me with the color already scattered all over (rather than the chunks of color that appear when the hank is freshly dyed and unskeined)

So I kept telling my little voice to shut up and telling myself it looked fine....til 3 days ago when I finally let my inner voice speak her mind.... and tell me it HATES THAT YARN!!!! She (and I) longed for the vision of a rose garden I had in my head.


In light of this sudden ephiphany, I'm not interested in knitting a complicated heirloom quality shawl in a colorway I loathe!! Don't get me wrong, the yarn is lovely and soft by itself and the colorway is beautiful - especially the pink and cream parts. Just not what I've been dreaming of for the shawl that's been on my mind for almost 2 years!

So I was forced (hee!) to purchase four skeins of Handmaiden Lace Silk in the Rose Garden colorway!! Actually I was kinda forced cause I have absolutely no laceweight yarn in my stash! Being fluffy, often knitting with fingering weight rather than laceweight offers enough "upsizing" to spare me any major construction changes so knitting the FPS will be my first journey into laceweight knitting! Here's a pic of the object of my weakness...

Beautiful, isn't it? Even this isn't *perfect* (I don't love the brown in the colorway) but it is stunning and the shawl will be lovely in this shiny, luminous silk! Plus it's a lot closer to my vision than pink and neon yellow!!

The moral of the story? Always listen to that little voice cause she's pretty much always right!

Now Pumpkin says......


Is it any wonder my Mom is fluffy? She has no willpower at all!!! :)

Have a great weekend!

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

*laugh* Oh my. The new yarn is lovely though. Here's the deal. Pretend like you gave me the same amount of money that the yarn cost. Good. Now with this money, I'm going to buy the yarn for your FPS. And give it to you. So technically, you didn't break the diet. I gifted it to you. (But don't expect me to pay you back the money I borrowed. Just sayin')

Anonymous said...

I love the sea silk!!! Gorgeous, I can't wait to see it after you knit it up!

La Cabeza Grande said...

"This above all: to thine own self be true..." - W. Shakespeare

The voice was right. The silk is lustrous and beautiful.

Dorothy said...

Beautiful choice! I always listen to my inner voice where lace is concerned. There's way too much work to not love the finished project - and don't think I've every had a lace project I didn't love. You done good!fire

Melanie said...

I think it is downright scrumptious!
Hey, if you decide you don't like this yarn, I will take it off your hands. ;)
I need to get my booty in gear and organize for the KAL as well..I have not done anything yet!
...Now..where can I find some Handmaiden Lace Silk in time for the KAL....

Carol said...

You crack me up. But who wouldn't cave for that Hand Maiden? This is something I always tell the girls. Listen to your instinct, why would it lie? You did great and P-Man sure knows his momma.

Leah said...

Hee! I have come Silk Cashmere in that colorway (wonderful gift from my buddy) and I just love it!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you bought new yarn! When I saw your swatch I didn't think you would be happy with the finished project, but who am I to say, "Hey Deb, trust MY little voice, don't use the yarn buy something else". The new yarn is glorious you will love the end result.

Meg said...

I think it is wonderful to see you making the most of your yarn purchasing moments so far this year. If you're gonna fall off the wagon, might as well go for something as lush and gorgeous as Handmaiden Silk! I'll look forward to seeing how it knits up into the FPS!

alltangledup said...

good for you. You certainly don;t want to knit up that yarn and hate the shawl because it didn;t match your vision. The sea silk is lovely and your shawl will be gorgeous

Terri said...

The hand maiden yarn is beautiful, and it will make a spectacular stole. I personally fear lace knitting, but I am anxious to see the results of your knit along.

Don't feel guilty about needing additional yarn. You tried to use your stash, and this was actually for the knit along - think of it more as a public service purchase. Also, Loopy Ewe has a button that clearly states "sock yarn does not count as stash". In fact, you may NEED to buy more yarn. Happy knitting!

Linda said...

excellent choice!! I am contemplating a different yarn myself.I will be looking today LOL I did not agree to not buy any new yarn and work from my stash!! LOL

Monika said...

Well, that was a perfectly good reason to buy yarn! ;o)

Kris B said...

At least you listened to your inner self before starting the shawl. Your new yarn selection is gorgeous.

Suzanne said...

I would have caved too-that yarn is STUNNING! and life is too short to knit with stuff you hate--esp lace. You will be spending a LOT of time with this project; bad yarn would be SUPERBAD!

Anonymous said...

Needs must etc...
Good yarn choice though - it looks like it shines.

WandaWoman said...

That yarn is gorgeous and if it the color wasn't what you envisioned for this shawl for over 2 years, you're definitely gonna hate knitting it. Get the stuff you like for that beautiful stole and listen to that little voice enxt time!

Beth said...

It's beautiful. I love the brown. There are alayse little bits of earth showing in the garden.
I'm concerned that the yarn I chose is too fine. I don't know.

Yours is good though!

Sharlene said...

I think I've seen that colorway in person and I too loved it at first sight. Your stole will be SO gorgeous. I think that is a great use of that beautiful yarn.

Nana Sadie said...

omg. When you fall off the wagon you do it in grand style, now don't you?
THAT is stunning. Amazing. I might have to fall off the wagon with you. Well. No. I've just spent $ on clothes (which I needed). And a MOVE - which I need MOST of all...
(sigh)
I cannot WAIT to see that shawl!
(((hugs)))
and head-scritches to P-Man...

Alison said...

You know we should really start an anti-stash along now, don't you?

It is beautiful yarn and you do need to listen to the voice. I started my Madli with a yarn I liked, but I had to rip the darn thing several times. It just didn't seem right. I put it away for a while and later decided to try with another yarn and didn't have to frog any. Sometimes, the yarn and the project just don't mesh.

Anonymous said...

oh honey, you did the right thing. I more than condone your decision to buy that gorgeous yarn. I'm not the biggest brown fan but I think it will look great in a rose garden. :)
kimberly
www.thegivingflower.de

Angie said...

You must NOT knit something that takes that long in yarn that you will eventually HATE! Contrags on the Handmaiden, it is truly luscious, I want to pet it and stroke it from here...

Leslie said...

I was gobsmacked by your confession about fingering! I had to let my comment "mature" over 24 hours :) and am now ready to tell you I think I'm in over my head with this beautiful (and very expensive) Suri Alpaca. I'd be much more comfortable knitting with fingering too but thought I was wierding out in the extreme to even think of it. Once more I learn to follow my own instincts - too bad I'm out over $80 - and feeling the pull of knitpicks (although I wonder if WEBS if open today)...

Perry & I send love to Pman!

Anonymous said...

Holy cow that's beautiful yarn! I think this is an exceptional case and that this "cheat" really doesn't count. Love the colors. I also really love the brown portion of the colorway. But that's just me.

Janina the Mom Beast said...

Oh, Debi, that is the SAME yarn I have been trying to resist... Swatches! We must see your swatches quickly. I will hide away the credit card until I see your swatches. Then I'll decide for real...I am going to be so far behind all of you-- here it is two days away from the start date and I don't even have yarn yet.

Jes said...

Your first foray into laceweight? I'm shocked =O

I love that color that you go. I think it will make a very luminous shawl. I'm all about your inner voice ;)

Anonymous said...

Well better to decide now then next week when you are days into the KAL.

The new yarn is very beautiful, it'll make a lovely shawl indeed.

Anonymous said...

That yarn looks perfect! That was So worth cashing in your GOOjF card.

I'm hoping to finish my socks for Audrey before the FPS start date. Wish me luck!

Diane said...

The new yarn is beautiful. Life is too short to knit with yarn you hate.

Carole Knits said...

I think you'll love the new yarn. And I tend to ignore that little voice, too. Especially when it says, rip out that sock - sweater - shawl - hat, it's too small.

Beth said...

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Easy for me to say--not on any kind of diet - and the stash and my body are getting fluffier every day.

Carol said...

You're an awesome girl! Thank you Debi.
x

Crunchy said...

My daughter laughed at me. I actually GASPED when I saw the color on this yarn! Too lovely! Wish I had been here to enter.

Janette said...

That's one adoreable kitty!

The knitting and yarn are lovely too, especially the beautiful Handmaiden silk. Looking forward to seeing the completed project.