Misgifting

Oh, I just love it when my Random Acts of Stupidity become public affairs. Today we attended a party at the home of one of the gym moms for whom I had been making dishcloths. To recap, she had admired the dishcloths I was knitting for my mother-in-law, and since she had just moved I decided to make her a couple as a housewarming gift.

She did not have a clue what they were. She asked if they were hot mats.

I reminded her that we had discussed how much she liked handknit dishcloths. She looked baffled. Further awkward conversation led us to the understanding that I had remembered the wrong person.

I did eventually identify the moms I had been chatting with and promised to knit them dishcloths, and they both seemed quite pleased. And perhaps I will have made a discloth convert out of the third mom, who is probably still trying to figure out what I was yammering about.

There's no end to it, is there?

Having finished the baby blanket and a couple of hats for charity earlier this month, I had promised myself to finish off a couple of projects for myself: the Flowing River shawl (when I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right) and a pair of Regia socks that has been kicking around for donkey's years. Well, donkey's months at least.

Then I got it into my addled little head that I should make my mother-in-law some dishcloths. She has been extraordinarily generous to us this year and I wanted to do some little thing to thank her. So there I sat at the gym while my kids were training, knitting as usual, and a couple of fellow gym moms asked me about my project. It came out that both these moms are big fans of handknit dishcloths, and coincidentally both of them are in the process of moving. Perhaps a few dishcloths would make a nice housewarming gift, thought I, and toddled off to Wally World for some more dishcloth cotton.

Meanwhile, what do I find in my mailbox yesterday but the latest sock of the month. And not just one. No, this time it's two patterns and two different colours of cotton. I want to knit them. Now.

But I will not. I will add the dishcloths to my current roster of Regia socks and shawl (when I am working a purl...oh, never mind) and I will finish them all. Soon. And then I can start other things. And maybe I'll even have a picture to post.

Regarding a certain shawl:

When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.

Can you guess what I am doing right now? Ten points if you guessed tinking a purl row.

addendum:
Screwed up the tinking and ended up frogging back to a lifeline, which, mercifully, was only two rows back. I have picked up all the stitches and replaced all the stitch markers. It is now Good To Go, but I am not going to look at this thing again tonight.

for good measure:
When I am working a purl row I will read the chart from left to right.
Et cetera.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Not a heck of a lot, actually. I took some charity knitting up to the cottage and finished the feather and fan baby blanket.



This item did not make for very good beach knitting so all this work was done in front of the TV. And it is finished. What does this tell you about my vacation? Multiple choice time.

a) It was warm and sunny and I spent every day at the beach.
b) It was cloudy, rainy and windy and I watched a whole lot of Dr. G, Medical Examiner.

I'll let you work that out for yourself.

But I am home now and ready to resume work on lacy shawls and other fun stuff. The young'uns are back to their five-hour-a-day gymnastics schedule and I plan to work on some charity hats during those precious hours where their practices overlap.