Knit and the City

Farewell ruffle, a lot of hard work, all for nothing. Like a lot of the relationships I've had, come to think of it. And, like relationships that were meant to end, the ripping wasn't so painful. Boys are like buses, there's always a next one. And, knitting can always be fixed. I turned my t.v. off, this required silence, fortitude, and a clear mind. I lit a candle, and I methodically began to pull out the stitches from the bottom of the ruffle. This surgery, much like removing a splinter, caused me to wince occasionally, but like dumping that bad boyfriend, it was the right thing to do. I will not miss you ruffle, I'm already glad you are gone.

And, in honor of the Ladies Free Skate last night

I now dub thee, Bobble Top Down:
I started playing around with Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embelishments. First, I thought I would do some kind of twisted I-Cord, but that was a bit bulky, and all that I-Cord would have just added to the madness of the ruffle. I needed something a bit more sane, more serene. I tried a cabled I-Cord. Almost, but the Debbie Bliss didn't really read the twist. And then, I was inspired, as I watched the slipping, the sliding, "uh oh, she two-footed that landing. That bobble is going to cost her . . ." Bobbles, yes. So, using the instructions from Folk Bags about how to knit an I-Cord onto a garment, and combining 2 different bobble patterns from Knitted Embelishments, I bobbled happily around my neckline, and was pleased with the result.

For the sleeve, I decided to stick with the bobble, and I used a pattern from Rowan's It's a Tape Thing. It's an 8 row pattern repeat, and I'll probably do one more repeat of the pattern. That is, when I reup on yarn (there's that public defender stash talking again!) - I ran out of the Debbie Bliss mid bobble. The sleeve, by the way, has also gone through several incarnations. First, I knit to the cuff, in stockinette, creating somewhat of a bell. Boring. Then, I ripped back, and did a drop stitch pattern. I was ok with the result, but it wasn't perfect. I did a K2, yarn over, and I thought it looked too ribbed. I had intended to rip it out, and reknit it with a K1, yarnover, to try to get a lacier feel. But then, the bobble inspiration. This inspiration process is very new for me. I've never designed anything, and I've been very content to follow someone else's pattern. Luckily, I did not pick this project for my Olympic feat, because I think if I had been working on a time-line, I certainly wouldn't have attempted the first ruffle, which, honestly, I don't regret. It was a nice experiment. And, if I had, I never would have pulled it out. I would have been too pressed for time. Maybe the next time I have what I think is a bad boyfriend, maybe I'll actually use a little patience, like I've had with this project, and take the time to make it just right.

Or, I'll dump the loser, like the ruffle, before it's way out of control, spiraling down the sleeves, to the hemline, leaving me, once again, looking foolish, and ready for clown college.