WIP Wednesday 7/11/12

This week, my knitting has been mainly focused on Radiance, Honey Bunches, and The Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl KAL 2012.  (The same three projects as last week!)

I was so very close to being done with Radiance- I was on the very last knit row before the bindoff, and then disaster struck.  Well, actually, disaster had struck several rows before, but I didn’t notice it until that point.  It appeared that I had dropped a stitch at the end of the last lacey section and it had unravelled several more rows.  I wish I had taken a picture for you, but I was too horrified to think about that, so a verbal description will have to suffice.  There was a huge hole.  In the middle of my shawl.

It seemed too far back to just drop that section’s stitches down, so I made the very painful decision to frog back to the problem.  It really wasn’t that may rows, but they are so long that it was still a ton of stitches.  To make matters worse, Malabrigo Lace does not like to unravel.  It clings to itself and generally makes everything a mess.

I finally got all of my 506 stitches picked back up last night, and am finishing up the last lace section now (for the second time).  Then I just have the increases, garter stitch section and the picot (I think?) bind-off.

 Normally, this doesn’t happen because I am really good about counting stitches while I knit.  If the stitch count is off, then I know there is something wrong almost immediately after I create the problem.  However, with this many stitches, I get distracted and lose count.  I think that once I get done with the lace section and the increases, I’m going to place markers every 50 stitches so that I can count more easily.  I think I can manage to count to 50 without a problem, and if I get interrupted, I only have to start counting at the beginning of that section, not hundreds of stitches back.

My other WIPs are coming along much better, especially in comparison.  The next chart for the Summer Solstice Mystery Shawl  came out yesterday, but I haven’t had time to do much with it yet.  I’ve been flying through the past several clues, finishing them up within a couple of days of when they are published (every Tuesday); however, I really want to get my Radiance off the needles so I’m working a bit less on the Summer Solstice.  I still intend to get this chart finished before the next one comes out, however!

I’m really enjoying working on my Honey Bunches shawlette.  I love the colors of the yarn, and the pattern seems to be working well with it.  Would the pattern stand out better in a solid color?  Of course.  However, it’s a simple enough pattern that it works just fine with the variegated yarn, and I like it.

I am in the middle of the second garter-stitch section.  While not on the lace sections, this makes fantastic travel knitting- it’s just knit knit knit for most of the row, with easy-peasy increases on the end.

What are you working on this week?  Want to see everyone else’s WIPs?  Head on over to Tami’s Amis’ WIP Wednesdays.