Mitten Saga Finished!

It took me until Saturday afternoon last week, but I finally have 2 pairs of mittens that I am completely happy with! I finally feel like I am doing a consistently nice job making and finishing the mittens.

And, as it turned out, it was a good thing the mittens worked out, because I am feeling very frustrated this morning. After yesterday, I find myself wondering just exactly why I enjoy knitting and crocheting so much. Let me explain.

I have joined a new group on Ravelry called "So much to knit, so little time". It's a group for those of us with too many UFOs, and it turns out there are a lot of us with this problem! Anyway, I think the group is helping me to focus more, which is how I got the mittens done.

Since the crochet guild meeting is next Sunday, I decided that this week I would focus on that deadline. I would like to make another 3 hat & scarf sets for our charity donation, and I want to finish another Doris Chan project since she is coming to visit. So yesterday morning, I started to diligently work on the Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl. I got to the end of row 9 and realized that something was very wrong. The row did not work out right at all. I was supposed to have created the base of 12 chrysanthemum leaves, but somehow I had 13. And I have to say that the entire shawl just looked awful. There was plenty of drape but no body to it. I now think that the pattern really does need to be made out of a cotton yarn.

Anyway, since I couldn't figure out where I had made a mistake, the Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl has visited the frog pond and is no more. I will have to come up with another, more suitable, project for the yarn, because it really is lovely. I have another Doris Chan pattern I am working on - the moebius shawl - but I am not at all sure that I can finish that one by Sunday. The problem with the moebius is that it is not fun to crochet. I think I am really going to enjoy wearing it, but I am not enjoying making it.

But I keep reminding myself about the successful mittens, and for the moment, that is making me feel better.