In which I never learn

This yarn was specifically bought to make the Easy as Pie shawl.  

In anticipation of knitting the shawl, I went to the place which was my LYS in the pre-London days, to buy a pair of 4.5mm needles and a pair of 3mm needles.  Somehow I managed to leave both behind on the counter, and the shop had to send them on (after some conflab about whether I’d paid for them, and how they were sending it on as a goodwill gesture).  When the package arrived, both pairs of needles were 4.5mm.  I should have known then that things weren’t going to go to plan.

I found that the easy as pi shawl, well, wasn’t.  I don’t know what it was that I just didn’t get; according to the comments on Ravelry, it’s a really easy knit.  It just wasn’t really doing it for me.  Apparently the rows were supposed to have an odd number of stitches, but row 4 appeared to increase by an odd number, meaning the following row would have an even number.  Then there was some note I made myself about not being able to do a YO K2tog and still end up with only one stitch in the centre of the shawl.  Maybe I'll try it again in the future with a clearer mind. 

So I decided to the panorama stole (Ravelry link) instead.  The pattern is written for double knit yarn, but I thought I’d mix it up.  Since the stole isn’t dependent on a particular gauge or size, there was no reason why it couldn’t be knit in a different yarn, especially if the sequins gave a bit of sparkle to the stole.  Who says that knitting can’t be a bit glam?

The sequins, although lovely and sparkly were a pain in the proverbial when trying to tink back; just imagine a button getting caught on a button hole as a coat is ripped open.  There were also more knots than I would have liked; three, all in a fairly short space of yarn.  Somehow, during Kate Atherley's opening talk at Joeli's Kitchen Retreat, I totally missed a knot and had to undo a couple of hundred stitches to make it right, and then had to make the unpicked stitches right as I hadn't re-knit them properly. 

The pattern is a fairly simple repeat of garter and stocking stitch - with an eyelet row for interest.  Knitting it on the train got me attention from a couple of people.  There was an older lady who did a comic triple take when she saw I was knitting.  Then there was a young girl who listened as I explained in simple terms what I was doing.  It must have been the sparkles that caught their eyes. 

And then, 109 stitches into a 337 stitch cast off, I ran out of yarn.  Or at least, worked out that I wasn't going to have enough yarn to last the distance.  We've been here before.  I still haven't learned to leave enough yarn for the cast-off.  So, that was nearly 400 stitches I had to undo, ready to cast off again.

The problem with blocking it, was how long it ended up.  From tip to tip, it was about six foot - one whole foot longer than I am tall.  (My husband did try to take a photo; it was better in my head than it was in reality).  It made photographing the stole somewhat difficult. 

I like the yarn, and would knit with it again.  The wool content isn’t as high as I originally thought, but that didn't matter in the end.  The sequins were threaded on to a separate thread, which was then twisted round the yarn.  So, if there were sequins in the way, it was easier to chop the sequins off, rather than cut the thread.  The yarn also differed slightly in thickness throughout, which made me worry that I'd snap the yarn unintentionally. But overall, liked the yarn and liked the pattern and would use both again. 

So what have you been knitting recently?