Reality check

Here's the reality of lace patterns:
1. One error has the potential to screw up the entire pattern
2. One error will screw up part of the pattern
3. One error won't make a difference because no one will notice
It all depends on the pattern. And it depends on the error you make.
Here is a sampling of errors:
1. dropping a stitch
2. adding a stitch
3. forgetting to knit a row
4. repeating a row you weren't supposed to
5. repeating stitches before you're supposed to
Etcetera...
A lace pattern like the one I am doing for my second place mat falls in the category of #2. I've already ripped it out, um I think twice. The second time was because I had done something really screwy in one of the pattern repeats that made it look pretty bad. Now the 3rd time around I got to a pattern repeat and left out a row, but the pattern still looked good...so I left it alone. I know Mom will accept the gift not caring one whit or another that I left out a row.

I have also found that it is important to check stitch count FREQUENTLY. This is how my pattern got screwed up the 1st couple of times. An additional stitch here and there. I though just knit 2 together to fix it. HA! The pattern was already messed up. Doing that wasn't going to fix it. Neither did adding stitches when I found several missing. When these mishaps occurred I was too far from the initial error to back up and fix it thus forcing me to rip out the pattern to the border. (Have you ever tried to put a piece back on the sticks that has a lot of yarn overs? NIGHTMARE!) So every 3-4 rows I count my stitches. When I notice that the end of a row isn't ending as it should, I go back and check. I back out until I: a. find the error or b. get to the point where I have the correct number of stitches and take it form there. Now the pattern is finally looking like the picture in the book.

Weird

I have done very little knitting this week. I'm trying to think of the last time I knit. I think it was Sunday. I've been so bloody tired and trying to complete my National Board retake...AGAIN. (3rd time's the charm!) I ended last week very depressed and dejected because my VE class betrayed me as I tried to tape them for my musicianship entry. So I was sullen for a number of days. Taped a 2nd grade class and it would have worked... if I had the darn camera at the right angle so it could capture the kids as they played the instruments. So I tried again on Wednesday with my most prized class. They were off...chatty, which is abnormal for them. Then my little 1st graders showed up and saved the day. I looked at the tape at the end of the day and said "This is IT!" Skipped church Wednesday night to work on the 2 entries.

Entry 2 is right at 11 pages and there is stuff I still need to add which will probably put it over the maximum of 12 pages...double spaced...in New Times Roman in 12 point...with 1 inch margins. That means I'm going to have to reword or delete stuff. I like this dilemma. I ran into the same problem the 1st time around with entry 1, which passed. 12 pages does not guarantee a passing score. It's all about providing the evidence in the writing and the video to prove I meet the standards.

Spring Break started for me today at 2:40. Here's the plan:
-Go to the library with the laptop and work on my entries for 2-3 hours, pretty much everyday until I'm done.
-Get the apartment together so I can start inviting my knitting buds over. I'll spend an hour or 2 a day until it's done.
-Do my taxes. I can do this in a day or 2 dedicating a couple of hours each day to the task.
-Knit...maybe a couple of hours of day and even spend some time at my LYS
-Go to Busch Gardens. I'm looking at Sunday after church since a cold front is coming through on Monday.
-Go to the Florida Aquarium. I'll do that on one of the cool days
-And I just might go to Lowry Park Zoo. I haven't been there in years.
-Hang with Janice and Morgan. We'll watch the Lifetime Movie Network as Pups (Marty the Maltese dog) jumps up on the couch and tries to act like a cat.