Raven's Wings--a finished object

Yarn: Bugga in Ruby Tailed Wasp

Pattern: Herbivore by Stephen West (ravelry link)

Made for an art show benefiting the Zen Center that is affiliated with our knitting circle.

This is my second herbivore made from a bugga yarn. The yarn is delicious. The pattern is a joy to knit. The finished product is very pleasing.

A skirt's tale

Once upon a time, I had a blue linen skirt from Old Navy. It was a good skirt, with a delightful bell shape, and attractive embellishments above the hem.

I wore that skirt often, and it was with me when I stepped into the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, and when I met Don Quixote.

Then, one tragic day, I was wearing the skirt at work, and it split open right at the bum.  Alas, those fabrics from Old Navy are fragile and have no stamina.

Although the fabric was sorely damaged, and I could not see how to repair it, I could not dispose of so much good fabric, and the skirt went into a pile in the sewing room, where it became a part of the clutter, forgotten and dusty.

One day, my daughter wished for a better skirt for her costume. She needed something blue, with lots of fabric for flowy dancy action. It was she who discovered the old blue skirt in the sewing room, and presented it for my consideration.

Being that the skirt has a draw-string waist, no alterations to the width were needed. All that was required was removing a great chunk of thin and damaged fabric, and the skirt had a new life!

Let's get this started already!

I"ve been wanting to start another Jeanie all year now. I started experimenting in preparation for it in February.

A week ago, the time came to start my new Jeanie. Casting on turned out to be an adventure.

Casting on Take One:

• cast on 137 stitches
• count stitches--136. add one stitch.
• count stitches--136. add one stitch.
• count stitches--137.
• count stitches--137.
• start first row. come up one stitch short.
• rip out.

Casting on Take Two:

• Cast on, adding stitch markers to keep exact count.
• Knit one row.
• After examining knitting, understanding why Judy's Magic Caston is not a good replacement for the provisional caston and will not be okay.
• rip out.

Casting on Take Three:

• Cast on using a size 10 needle and replacing the waste yarn with a cable from my interchangable needle sets.
• use stitch markers to keep careful count.
• due to busy schedule, carry this around in my knitting bag a few days.
• knit the first row, carefully following pattern, at lunch time at work.
• after lunch, sit in a work session, fondling my knitting.
• discover that section one, which should be 8 stitches in length, is only 6 stitches.
• recount several times that afternoon.
• section one still continues to be 6 stitches.
• rip out.

Casting on Take Four:

• sit down with the family to knit and watch sitcoms
• cast on 20 stitches, using stitch markers to keep track
• notice I'm doing the figure 8 backwards
• rip out.

Casting on Take Five:

• cast on 40 stitches, using stitch markers to keep track
• notice I'm using a size 6 needle instead of the size 10 needle that's needed for caston
• rip out.

Casting on Take Six:

• cast on all stitches, using stitch markers to keep track
• knit first row
• knit second row
• notice that I didn't put the end cap on the interchangable needle cable, and the provisional stitches have fallen off the cable.
• rip out.

Casting on Take Seven

• cast on all 137 stitches, using stitch markers to keep track
• continue to knit.
• This time seems to be the right time!