Wednesday 30 December 2009

Things I have learned in 2009 - Number 2 - Using the internet after midnight

In the second of this series, I shall tell you a sad story of coming home, high on the fumes of tennismania (aka Hopman Cup Tennis) to log onto the interwebs, then to Ravelry and the terrible results thereof.  It transpired early in 2009 that my credit card wilted under the pressure of this onslaught and I committed to so many things that the remainder of the year was a complete shambles. So, next lesson:
  1. Thou shalt not log into the interwebs after midnight and purchase yarn just because it's there.
  2. Thou shalt not log into the interwebs after midnight and purchase yarn just because it's on sale.
  3. Swaps maybe fun but you should check when they all become due before signing on, especially if it's after midnight.
  4. After midnight all swaps, sound good.  Look, read, take notes, come back during daylight hours if you still think it's a good idea.
  5. After midnight, surfing the net for three hours - stupid idea!  Just do what's needed and get thee to bed!  There's another day tomorrow....
Here endeth the lesson!

Saturday 26 December 2009

Things I have learned in 2009 - Number 1 - Knitting after 10pm

  1. Don't start fine lace after 10pm when you are tired
  2. Don't start knitting lace after 10pm when you are tired and the yarn is cobweb weight AND BLACK!
  3. Don't start knitting lace after 10pm when you are tired and you've had any amount of alcohol
  4. Don't start knitting lace when in a group and you are tired
  5. Try taking note of your own comments on this matter instead of thinking you know better - IT WILL END IN TEARS!
My Fountainpen Shawl is coming along nicely.  If I had made this list earlier and actually stuck to it, I may actually have been about halfway through.  As it is, I think I have tinked more than knit just lately.  I know for a fact that I didn't make any forward progress on Christmas Day - that was ALL tinking.  Boxing Day, a little better.  I reknit all the tinking from Christmas Day, knit about four more rows, tinked one or maybe one and a half, fixed the mistake I found and purled the wrong side row before putting it away to write this as a penance. 
This shawl will be completed.  As I keep saying, the pattern isn't that hard, I just seem to be making it that way.  I shall do better tomorrow.  For now, I am tired, I have had several glasses of wine and some cointreau and the group has just broken up to go home.  Not in tears yet but entirely possible if I heed the siren call of that dratted black lace shawl.  It being 11pm, I shall heed my own list and retire while I'm still ahead.