We interrupt this blog

We interrupt this regularly-scheduled crafting blog for this Emergency Knitting report. Yes, this is a Knitting Emergency. The story you are about to hear is true; only the names have been changed to protect the innocent:

Saturday, March 27, 2010. It was a cold but sunny afternoon; my mother and I stopped by the local AC Moore because of the coupon. A fifty percent off any item coupon, and I was in the market for some yarn needles. You know how it is. We wandered the aisles, and then she dropped the bombshell:

"Your sister will be in town on Good Friday. Did I tell you she's having a girl? I told her you'd knitted some things for her."

As I scraped my jaw off the floor, I realized two things: my mother doesn't understand that while yes, I knit faster than she does, I don't knit all that fast, and she's said 'things', plural. I responded the only way I could:

"WHAT?"

I should've saved my breath; she was off and running. She went up and down the yarn selections, dissing this yarn and that. This wasn't pink enough, that was too pink, that wasn't soft, that was bamboo, wasn't that flammable? She eventually found a yarn she thought was appropriate, and asked me what sort of blanket I was going to make, and it would have a really ruffle-y edge, right? Again, I responded:

"WHAT?"

Really ruffle-y, she repeated, and checked the label on the yarn for suggested needle size. She grabbed a set of size 8 circulars from across the aisle, and tossed them into her cart atop the pile of very, VERY soft baby-pink yarn. She had, of course, grabbed all of it. Then she started talking about something else... and my brain unfroze enough to realize that not only did she expect me to make an entire baby blanket in less than a week, I was also supposed to produce a sweater. My vocabulary remained limited.

"WHAT?"

And it had better be a pretty, girly sweater, too. And could I make it match the blanket? Well, I could start while I waited in the car, she was going to go to Marshalls. She bought the yarn and needles (and I remembered to get my yarn needles, although regrafting or reseaming much of anything wasn't going to happen this week, that was for sure), tossed me the car keys, and trotted off to the next store.

To my credit, I did not drive off without her.

So, forget anything else I was going to work on this week, like, say, Level 1 or the Rogue sweater. I am currently adrift in a sea of soft baby-pink yarn of my mother's choosing, with the certain knowledge that while this week of knitting will be hellish, it will be MORE hellish if I don't finish my unexpected assignment in time to be wrapped in appropriately baby-themed paper with adorable ribbons before I see my sister on Friday. At church, no less. (At least veiling is an evening ceremony, right?)

Here's where I stand so far. I did, in fact, start the blanket in the car Saturday afternoon about 4pm. Completely off the cuff. Went with Celtic cables because (a) they're on the Rogue sweater and I'm used to them right now and (b) sis is Irish-American by birth and Irish (citizen & all) now, and is Danged Proud Of It, so she'll love it. Winging it. Completely. Worked on it through Monday evening commute; about 2/5 of the way done, but I'm at an easy part which should go pretty quickly for about 50 rows, then I just have to replicate what I did at the one end at the other end and throw on a ruffle.


This was knit on circular needles.
This is a size 8 straight that's supposed to be in my Hello Kitty scarf.
The baby sweater I started Monday night - was that just yesterday? - and I'm about 1/3 done with it after this morning's commute. It's Courtney Filner's Five Hour Baby Sweater (thanks to the Lovely L for the pointer!), with slight mods - I'm doing different decreases on the sleeves. And yes, I checked the errata thread on Ravelry, so I didn't freak about the "extra stitch" or the "150" stitches. It's all good. Here's where I was when I'd finally decided that not being able to see straight was impairing my knitting:


Here's where my size 8 circs are now.
Thank goodness I found my acrylic 8s for the sleeves!
I'll tell you right now that there won't be a Yarn on Thursday: Stitch Edition again this week, since when the heck have I had the time to do anything but knit with baby-pink yarn? (Or, for that matter, SLEEP?)

I love my sister. I love my mother. Sometimes, her emergency *is* my emergency. Sigh. I love my sister. I love my mother. I will keep repeating this until I believe it again!