Defeat (and some other stuff too)

But first the defeat. I have given up on the pattern I was intending to use to make my granma's scarf. 5 times ripped is enough. Maybe one day I'll try the pattern again, in a different yarn, but fuck this. Instead, I found a different pattern that is already proving to be less troublesome. Because honestly, on a scarf 45 stitches wide, it should not take me an hour and a half to do a 20 row repeat. That's how much trouble the lace was giving me. The new pattern I'm using is Knitty's Branching Out. Simpler lace. 2 repeats in, no problems yet. Considering the only lacework I've done before this is a washcloth, I think this is a wiser choice.

Speaking of which, the new Knitty has been out for a while now. I've looked at the patterns, and I like most of them. I'm especially pleased that most patterns have a good range of size. I will complain, however, about some of the patterns:

Lacey: AWFUL. God, ughh. Now, obviously, bright greens are my favorite colors. But who the fuck makes a lime-green lace shrug with a HUGE COLLAR?

Hipster: Aside from the already obnoxious name, it looks stupid. Just buy the damn fanny pack already.

Bloom: Mostly because this pattern is very meh. Okay, so you took some Noro and just knit a huge circle on really big needles. This... is not really that impressive.

I'm not so fond of Flora, either, but that's more a matter of personal taste, and while I like most of Blackberry, the bottom shaping I do not like.

I do like the number of projects with cables in them. I am considering making the Samus, but most definitely not in that bright orange. I also think the cardigan that's a reproduction from one in Big Fish (Josephine) is pretty cool, but the sizing is too small for me.

Eto... what else...

Oh, yeah. Yesterday in the mail, I got a catalogue from Lion Brand. o_O Do what now? How did they get my name/address? Why is their catalogue so full of crap novelty yarns?

Don't get me wrong, I do like some Lion Brand stuff. I shamelessly admit to liking Homespun - it doesn't feel unpleasant and I do like the ease of being able to toss it in the washing machine, I find wool-ease to be useful, their fisherman's wool is good for dyeing, and now they've got a 100% wool line and I'd use their cotton (if I could find it anywhere). But jesus fucking christ. Do you really need 30 different fucking types of fun fur? Oh, and the pattern examples they gave in the catalogue. No, thanks, I don't want to look like I'm wearing a shag rug.

I am coming to see why so many knitters despise novelty yarns. If they were used sparingly, they wouldn't be so obnoxious. But designers like to put the shit on EVERYTHING. Fun fur collars for my shirts and cuffs for my socks? Fuck you, no. Unless I'm making a santa costume. Really, the only non-obnoxious use for the stuff seems to be in the form of making scarves. Anywhere else looks awful, in general.

Screw you all, though, I'll still use acrylics. Look, I live in FLORIDA. One town over from where the highest temperature on record ever was recorded (and YES, it is hotter and more humid in the Big Bend area of the Panhandle than South Florida... and Tallahassee is also the area where lowest temperature on record ever was recorded... go figure). If you expect me to knit and wear wool garments only, you're off your tit. ... This is probably why I make a lot of socks.

Fall won't even begin here until maybe mid-november. By the end of march, it'll be time for shorts again. We don't even have 'winter'.