Oh, Now I Feel Bad

The Heart Harf came home Friday.

Just in time for 60 degree F weather all weekend. Obviously my concern about having it in time for cold weather was premature.

Also in the box was the company's current pattern book and a tan skein of their Guanaco yarn. Kind of like a consolation prize, which is nice because the rules didn't say anything about a consolation prize.

So now I feel a little bad for disparaging their lack of taste the other day.

On the other hand, just because they're nice doesn't change the fact that I didn't win. I think I'll continue to feel snubbed. But the pretty stuff is a bit soothing.

Of course, I immediately started plotting what to make with the yarn. It might be the correct gauge to make another attempt at the uncooperative cabled hat I was trying to design recently. The handspun yarn I used for my first attempt ran out. The second yarn I used worked up at a different gauge so the hat was too big for me (but fit Hubby). But I don't know if I want to revisit that situation.

There is a pattern for a pair of Aran Gaunlets by Dina More that take one skein of Guanaco in the booklet. They have potential. But a couple people on Ravelry mentioned they thought the yarn was itchy. It's a blend of alpaca and merino. I don't remember the yarn feeling itchy when I was playing with it on Friday, but that Misti Alpaca I'd used to make Hubby a scarf (which was then harvested for a hat) made my neck prickle. So maybe alpaca yarn isn't to be trusted.

Someone on Ravelry used this yarn to make the Captian Hat by Rosi Garmendia. It's a cute cabled thing with a brim like on a baseball cap. It looks like it has potential to be a good winter hat. But I have my lovely Coronet and how many winter hats does a girl need?

I suppose I should finish some of the projects I already have on the go before I plunge into a new one. Being disciplined is so constricting.

Can't Account For Taste

I am sad to inform you that the Heart Harf didn't win that contest I entered.

:-(

The only thing I can figure is they don't know true brilliance when they see it.

Nope, very few self-esteem issues around here.

I'll show them, I'll write the pattern up and people will be clamoring to buy it!

My only comfort, aside from disparaging the judges' ability to recognize awesome knitwear when they see it, is that I didn't knit the Harf for the contest.

I wasn't actually positive, so I dug through my old blog posts (which wasn't easy, apparently I don't apply tags consistently) to confirm.

As far as I can tell, although I knew about the contest when I dreamt the Harf up, I didn't dream it up for that reason. Looks to me like I was intending to make it one way or the other. I only made it for the contest because I was able to find suitable yarn from that company. This means it's not a total loss, since it's something I already wanted.

My only hope now is that they return it in a timely so I can start wearing it. humph.

Positive Thinking My Eye
This shows you that "the power of positive thinking" people are spouting nonsense.

I don't think I could have been more consistently positive about my anticipated win than I was.

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right?

Hubby's Sweater
I've decided that substituting light charcoal 1468 for my original dark charcoal 1469 is unacceptable. I decided I at least had to make an effort to get the right color, even in a different dyelot, before I used the wrong color.

I have a message out to Cynthia to see if she's reordering my color. If she isn't then I will proceed with the wrong color, knowing that at least I tried.

Or maybe I'll knit what I can and then ping the other people on Ravelry who have it.

I just can't decide.

Getting Closer

Remember when I told you that my Rainbow Swirl Socks had been accepted for a book of sock club socks being edited by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrot?

Well, yesterday Beth sent the contributors an e-mail with a link to the pre-order page on Amazon!

It's so cool.

As you can see, the book title is Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure. And the publication date is January 2010.

I was looking at the pictures on Amazon and it looks like there are going to be some pretty cool socks in here. Other than mine, of course. And, as a contributor, I get a free copy.

Of course, pre-ordering the book would ensure you receive it in a timely manner. But don't forget the advantages of picking up a copy at your Local Yarn Store, where you will also be able to get the yarn you need to make the patterns, and help when you get stuck.

And supporting your locally owned bookstore is always a good idea, too. Even if they don't sell yarn.

Other Projects
Just to remind you how cool (and modest, or is it humble?) I am here is a refresher on my other empire building activities.

The Eyelet and Feather Socks there in the sidebar are going to be in the new One-Skein Wonders book from Storey Publishing. This time the theme is garments made from sock yarn. You'll remember my Top-Down Alpaca Mitts are in the last OSW book, which had a luxury yarn theme.

I'll probably have to stop selling the pattern individually soon, but I haven't been told when. I don't know when the publication date is. By the way, Storey's blog is kind of fun.

The Heart Harf is still at Aslan Trends being judged for their Knitter's Challenge 2009. Really, they should save themselves the trouble and just name me the first place winner already. Then they just have to worry about selecting second and third place winner. Because, of course, I'm going to win first place. They won't make the official announcement until Nov. 11.

That's about it. I have some other patterns I really need to write up already. And I haven't made much progress on my current projects.

Ok, lunch time is over. Back to the grind.

Harf Done!

Actually, it's all done.

Finally!

Keeping in mind my horrible photography skills, and I took these with the camera timer, believe me when I say it is much, much nicer in person.

In this first picture, I have it on, but unfurled so you can get a sense of just how big/long it ended up being. I am, for reference, just barely 5' 1", and it reaches just about to my ankles!
I guess my concern that the scarf bits wouldn't be long enough was unmerited.

That blur behind me and around my knees is Baru puppy swarming me trying to figure out what I was doing. We had just played evening fetch and he got a nice big drink of water, so the scarf and my pants got pup-ified. Ick!

I hit a point during the knitting, when I was pretty sure I wouldn't have enough yarn for all 36 rows of the repeat I was working, but I couldn't stop myself from knitting.

I did, however, have the presence of mind to toss in a couple lifelines after the last full repeat. When I ran out of yarn on row 14 it was an easy matter to pull back and bind off. The large amount of left over yarn is what made me finally decide to go with the fringe. I was able to get 88 14-inch strands out of what I had left. So there are two strands in each point and 22 points on each end. Rather generous fringe, but my goal all along has been to use every scrap of yarn.
(Ok, I had like 3 fringe strands left over. I'll save them for repairs.)

What I like about the scarf length is you can wrap both ends from the front, around your neck, and back down the front and have length to spare and keep your chest warm. I think anything shorter might have looked goofy in this construction.

Stats
My own design using a cable pattern designed by ivanovaknits.
Three skeins of Invernal yarn from Aslan Trends. This is an angora/wool/polyamide blend, so it's very warm, soft, and snuggly, which you totally aren't getting from the bad pictures I took!
US 7 needles

Blocking Barriers
After taking the pictures, I stuck it in the bathroom sink and doused it with cold water (it's handwashable), then ran it through the washing machine's spin cycle (I'm so bad).
I took it up to the attic and quickly realized the blanket I block stuff on (when I bother to block stuff) wasn't big enough.
I also realized that if I really stretched it and pinned it the cable hearts would get distorted. So I settled for stretching it gently by hand and smoothing it out, but not pinning it.
Really, I just wanted to level out the ribbing a bit.
Once it's dry, I'll copy down various statistics so I can re-write the pattern so a normal person can follow it.
Then I shall send it off for the contest!
Seriously, now, I'm going to win First Place so there is no point in you entering.
Save yourself the heartbreak.

Still Knitting the Harf

I have been working on it quietly in the background.
I suppose I should get a picture of it.
Since I don't have a current picture of it, I am using this old picture so you remember what it looks like.
A current picture will either be a picture of it as a blob on the table, or a funky picture of me with it on so you can see how long the scarf bits are.
Which is over 20 inches from where the ribbing ends and the rev st st beings.
The exciting thing is, I'm down to my last 33 odd grams of working yarn.
Which is actually about 15 grams on each end, since I'm working on both scarf bits at once.
Really, I should get a picture of that set up for you.
I had done some very rough estimates, based on how many cable panel repeats I got when I was using both ends of the third ball to work the scarf bits, and decided that the leftovers from the balls I used to work the hood bits should get me three more panel repeats on each end.
Huh?
Yeah, I know, lost myself there too.
Geez, I should do something about that, my boss reads my blog sometimes—must keep up the illusion I can write coherent sentences.
Ok, when that third ball ran out I thought I had enough yarn for three more panel repeats.
I haven't actually counted to see if that is true, i.e. how far they gone so far.
I'm almost halfway through my current panel repeat, and I'm starting to get nervous.
If I don't make it all the way, I'm going to have to rip out this repeat and have a ton of fringe!

In Bead News
I totally didn't give you enough details yesterday about my last venture into the bead section.
Of course, the goal was a thicker wire.
I returned to the aisle where I had bought the too thin wire, but didn't see anything appropriate. I was rather disheartened, when I saw the side wall of the store and discovered what you all knew was lurking there, waiting to trap me...
A whole other section of beads!
And much fancier/nicer beads than in the first aisle, along with tons of findings, all sorts of wire!
Well, you can imagine what happened when I discovered all that shiny stuff.
Despite my resolve to just get the new wire and get out of there...
I bought some 20 gauge wire in red, since I figured if this will be my one time doing this I might as well go flashy.
Some fancy headpins as I have a vague understanding these can be used and I'd only have to bend one end.
And a wonderful, precious box of 200 hematite beads.
Hematite beads are what I was actually after the last time, when I spent all that time dithering over the strung beads.
I should take another picture of the four stitch markers I made so you can see all this stuff.
I did e-mail the teacher and she said she has time Thursday (tomorrow), but we have to nail down a time now.
Of course, now that I found the lovely hematite beads, I'm starting to wonder what else I can do with them.
Will they go with my neglected Peacock Socks?
Hmm, no the yarn is too blue and green.
But wondering about those beads, made me think of other beads.
I have a little packet of pink pearls and clear crystals that might match the Seashell Merino Dream sock yarn, but there probably aren't enough of them to use effectively.
And maybe I should get some tiger's eye beads to go with the Honey Pot Cat's Pajama's yarn I want to make into a shawl. Would I be able to find an appropriate size?
Maybe I should reel myself in and focus on getting the Harf and the Damn Doilies done before I go running off spending money I don't have on beads I don't need.
But I can totally understand what you guys meant now.

Harf? What Harf?

Look at my cute doggy!
Do you see where Samson is sitting?
On the loveseat.
In MY spot.
I ran to the store and when I got back he peaked over the back of the couch at me and wagged his tail as if to say, "Look how cute and comfortable I am. Are you really going to move me?"
And, of course, I didn't. I moved the green blanket instead.
Perhaps this is why he thinks he out ranks me in the pack?
Did that distract you? No? You want knitting content?

New Socks!
Eyelet and Feather
As you noticed in a post last week, the Cat's Pajamas Socks (now elegantly renamed Eyelet & Feather Socks) have been unleashed on the knitting public.
I have seven favorites so far on Ravelry and one queued (but no purchases yet, sigh).
Last week's knitting time was focused on making a sample sock for the store since I don't want to split up my original pair, as happened to my poor Rainbow Swirl Socks.
I believe I mentioned recently that I had 40 grams of Cat's Pajamas Yarn left over from the original pair? I'm not sure how much yarn the original pair took because despite my little bout of weighing all my socks and scraps I don't seem to have weighed these. However, I made a third sock just fine.
Maybe that is a reason I like Lucy Neatby's yarn, I can get a pair and a spare out of it!
In case you don't remember why the Rainbow Swirls are scattered to the four corners of the country: one original is in the dining room credenza, its mate is at the store as a sample of our Sock Club patterns, and the spare is down south for its star turn in that new sock book coming out this year.

Cubes and Cables Anklets
Then last night around 10 pm EDT, I unleashed the Cubes and Cables Anklets on the world.
I designed these socks for the February installment of the store's Sock Club.
These seem to have hit a nerve on Ravelry. So far I have 39 favorites and 10 queues, but again no purchases. Whaaa! Is $5 not a reasonable price? pout.
Oh well, at least I'm not trying to making a living at this pattern publishing business. I'm just looking to support my yarn habit and have some extra spending money.

Yes, yes, the Heart Harf
After I finished the spare Eyelet and Feather Sock last week I returned my attention to the Harf.
The break was good as I was starting to get fatigued with it and was able to return energized. (What is re-energized not a real word? Is it just redundant?)
Last time I checked, which was a few rows ago, the scarf bits measured 21 inches long from the point where the ribbing of the scarf changes to the reverse stockinette stitch of the hood.
When I have it on this reaches just below my belt.
I still have 100 grams of yarn left to knit. This is what is left of the current ball I'm using as well as what is left over from the first two balls I used to knit the hood bit.
I think it will come out a rather pleasant/adequate length.
I'm vaguely debating fringe. But it will depend on where the pattern breaks when I run out of yarn.
If I run out at the end of a full panel repeat, I'll probably skip fringe. But if I'm going to run out mid panel I'll probably tink back to the last full panel and then use the left over yarn as fringe to use it up and avoid waste.
It's all very exciting this plunge into the unknown!
Ok, I'm exaggerating.

Crochet Mischief
However, I did not work on the Harf last night.
I've had a small project knocking around my brain for a while now that I've finally decided to act on. (on which I've finally decided to act?)
But I'll tell you more about that tomorrow when I should have pictures and will hopefully be done.

Full Harf Ahead

As opposed to "full steam ahead."
Although there is a full harf in my future, once I get the scarf bits knit.
Having returned to the Harf with fresh eyes Sunday evening, after having not touched it since the initial grafting was completed on Saturday, I decided that it is just fine as is.
I think the hiccups in the switch from rev st st to st st at the ribbing aren't terribly noticeable, especially without close inspection or from a distance.
So I contented myself with easing the tight spots and then getting the ends positioned to start knitting again.

Back to the Cast On
Those yellow bits you can see over my shoulder here, and the blue ones in the front shot if you trooped out to Flickr, are my sock shaped point protectors.
Remember, I used Judy's Magic Cast On for a provisional start to this project. I ended up putting the open ends on US7 double points and slapping on the point protectors to keep everything in place.
Sunday night was spent happily knitting the scarves. I'm only on row 7 of the first panel heading down.
This doesn't sound like much, but I'm working both ends at the same time.
I don't have a picture, at the moment, but trust me that it's an awful mess.
Since working both ends simultaneously isn't hard enough, I'm doing it from both ends of one ball of yarn.
Yeah, if I can't make my own life difficult why bother?
I still have yarn left over from the two balls I used for the hood section. In theory those balls are equal, since the hood halves are equal, but for some reason I didn't want to start with those.
Partly because the third and final ball is already attached to the first hood half from when I was testing out the cast on theory at the very beginning.
I figure using both ends of it will distribute it evenly to both scarves, then I can move on to the left overs from the other two balls.

Fear Not
Of course when the final pattern is released people who make it won't have to suffer like this.
I'll write the pattern so you just cast on and go, because I'll have all the numbers/stats from this crazy exercise I'm putting myself through.
How relaxing that will be for people, to knit a project like a normal person.

This Is Not Knitting

This is, however, maddening.
The Heart Harf, my dears, has come to a screeching halt.
It has come to such a halt that I've been willingly working on the Third Damn Doily the past few evenings in an effort to avoid the Harf.
I imagine that on some plane of existence my brilliant plan to work both halves of the Harf hood up to the center and graft them together stayed brilliant.
In my current reality, it kind of sucks.
I shall do my best to be clear and informative here, because I know that at some point in the future some poor soul is going to end up on my blog because she or he did an internet search for "grafting or kitchener stitch on reverse stockinette stitch."
Of course, being clear will not circumvent my normal habit of being long winded.

Return of the Prototype
Actually, working kitchener stitch on reverse stockinette is much easier than you might expect. Or at least as easy as working it on stockinette.
A fact I quickly realized when I started in on the prototype Harf.
You remember the prototype, yes? The orange and yellow Cascade 220 version.
I had considered frogging it, but was too lazy, and then I was glad.
I picked it apart at the color change, worked a few rows in yellow to get the ribbing/cable panel to line up correctly and had at it.
I used purple yarn for the sewing so we could see what is going on.

Here are the Steps
Usually, I use kitchener stitch to close up sock toes, but I understand it can be used for shoulder seems and other areas where you want smooth fabric.
I don't have a sock toe to demonstrate on, so you will have to use your imagination.
Ok, I hold the needles parallel with the working yarn coming from the back needle.
My path is:

1. 1st Front—go in Knitwise, take the stitch off the needle
2. 2nd Front—go in Purlwise, leave the stitch on the needle
3. 1st Back—Purlwise, Off
4. 2nd Back—Knitwise, On

And you repeat that down the row until all your stitches are used up.
Except! on the first stitches on the front and back you work the second half once, then start in.
So, really, it goes:

• 1st Front—Purlwise, on
• 1st Back—Knitwise, on

1. 1st Front—go in Knitwise, take the stitch off the needle
2. 2nd Front—go in Purlwise, leave the stitch on the needle
3. 1st Back—Purlwise, Off
4. 2nd Back—Knitwise, On

Which was all well and good for the first four stitches, which are the cable and are in stockinette stitch.
On the body of the hood, which is reverse St St, I found that I simply had to reverse the steps.
So it was:

1. 1st Front—Purlwise, off
2. 2nd Front—Knitwise, on
3. 1st Back—Knitwise, off
4. 2nd Back—Purlwise, on

That was Then, This is Saturday
Except it was all out the door when it came to the ribbing, as you can see in the first photo.
Yeah, the ribbing kicked my butt. At the ribbing, I had to switch back to working kitchener stitch the normal way.
I found that I had to start the switch on the stitch before the one that was knit on the public side on the, uh, back needle. But I had to continue as for rev st st on the front needles until I reached that knit stitch.
Yeah, I don't understand it myself, and I'm the one who was just downstairs working it!
As you can see, I didn't really get the switching worked out until the very end.
I'm debating whether I should pick the portion through the cable panel out and rework it.
Of course, I should do that straight away, while it's all still sort of fresh in my mind.
I mean, I am going to enter this in a contest, so I should make it look as nice as possible, right?
I also need to go through it and work some slack in, or out as the case may be. Some parts of the graft seam are tight.
Additionally, in that first photo you can see there is a bit of a flat spot in the cable. So when I reached the leading edge I went ahead and put in another cable twist. I think that it is a little less obvious.
(There are more pictures of me trying on the hood bit over in my Flickr stream. But I look like a goof in them, so I'm not putting them on the blog! Clicking on any of the pictures will take you there.)

Meanwhile, Back at the Harf...

When last we saw the Heart Harf, both sides had been worked through three heart cable panel repeats.
Theoretically making them even/match.
"Theoretically" being the operative word.
I pulled it out last night to give it some attention. I needed a break from the thin cotton thread for the doily.
And what should I discover?
The edge cables are not crossing on the same rows.
I was afraid this would happen.

Ok, stick with me.
They are crossing with the same regularity, i.e., every fourth row, but not on the same fourth row.
Fourth row, is that right?
Let's see...I cross them on a right-side row, then I work three rows even, then on the next right-side row—which is the fourth row—I cross them again. Ok, fourth row.

The Discovery is Made
Well, when I pulled it out last night the first thing I did was transfer the first half of the scrap yarn onto a needle. Now both halves are strung on a long cable side by side so I can work them simultaneously. No, consecutively.
I've been using movable stitch markers to keep track of my cable rows.
I cross the cable, then I clip the marker to one of the stitches. This way I can easily count up three rows and know it is time to cross again. In this manner I do not have to strain my brain when I come back to the project later.
Although both halves where worked through row 34 of the cable panel, ready to work row 35, which is a right-side row, the marker for the first half was three rows down and the marker for the second half was two rows down.
Or was it one row down?
Regardless, the first half was ready to cross on row 35 and the second half wasn't.

Not Sticking to the Plan
Originally, when I first cast on, I had debated casting on for both halves and working them up together from the get go.
But then I got distracted by trying to ensure my provisional cast on would work out.
I cast on the first half, worked a few rows, then flipped the piece over and worked a few rows down to make sure it would look ok.
By doing that, and apparently not taking notes as accurately as I thought I had, when I went to work the second half, I started out with my first cable cross on an incorrect row.
I pulled on the cast on tail and counted rows and tried to match it up to the cable panel, I really did, but obviously I didn't get it right. Which I didn't realize until it was too late.

Cascade Effect
Deep breath.
This might work out ok.
The cables are crossing with the same regularity, so they should be harmonious. And I've been worried they might both want to cross on the same row when they reach the center top of the hood and I wasn't sure how that would work out.
Hopefully, they fall out nicely now and I don't have to worry about extra flat rows or crosses too close together at the center point.
But the real issue is that the increase rows are tied to the cable crosses. The increases happen on the wrong side row immediately following the cable cross.
So the first half is an increase short.
(I have not counted to see whether both halves have the same number of crosses. I suppose they must not.)
I must have counted stitches three times on each side to confirm I was two stitches short.
Hopefully it will work out. Hopefully I'll be able to through in an extra increase on the first half without messing stuff up.
I guess I won't know until I get there.

Confusing Enough?
This is all causing a bit of a hiccup in my grand plan of working both sides at the same time now.
With the cabling and increasing happening on different rows, I'm worried I'll forget and work them incorrectly on one half or the other.
I'm wondering whether I'll be better off breaking them apart again.
At the same time, it's only 16 rows, I should be able to manage that.
Phowie!

Seashell—aha!
On a happier note...I made a break through in the potential Seashell socks.
When I've been saying Feather and Fan Stitch, what I was thinking was the Scallop Stitch from October 15 in the perpetual calendar.
(I am only aware of one perpetual calendar stitch dictionary thingy, so I'm assuming yours is the same.)
Which explains my surprise when I found those patterns online and they weren't what I had in mind.
After checking it, I think you can understand why I had the stitches confused.
As you can see, this pattern probably won't look good cuff down. So I'd have to go toe up. But I think a picot hem will look rather nice with it.
Of course, I haven't swatched it. Haven't even rolled the skein into a ball. But at least I've got some direction now.

Kick in the Pants

First up, the Cashmere Sock version of my Eyelet and Feather Scarf is done and blocked!
After going through all the trouble of brushing my hair, this is the best picture I got. (Hubby is deep in school work and correcting papers for the end of term and is not to be disturbed.)
So, it's my own Eyelet and Feather pattern (available there in the side bar and in my Ravelry store).
The pattern was written using Alchemy Monarch. To accommodate this different yarn I went up to a US7 needle.
Now I have to take some new measurements, tweak the pattern for this yarn, and fill out the submission form, then it will be winging its way off to the publisher.

Cotton and More Cotton
The completion of that scarf has caused me, in a round about way, to start working on the Damn Doily again.
But by now you've noticed I tend to do things in a round about way.

But First, a Detour
After I finished the blue scarf, I spent an evening with the Heart Harf. Now both sides are three heart panels long.
As I approach the point where I'll have to graft the center shut, I'm growing nervous.
P asked Lucy about grafting Knit 2, Purl 2 rib on Saturday.
Lucy replied, "Top to top or top to bottom?" And launched into a discussion that included waste yarn making your life easier.
It was interesting, but I could only half listen as I was counting the cash register drawer at the time.
But then driving home I thought, "Blast! That might have been useful for the Harf!" I will have to consult with P, or see if this technique is covered on Lucy's DVDs.
Of course, I weathered grafting the cable band on Coronet shut and even managed to figure out how to keep the reverse stockinette stitch correct.
Still, I might need to make a swatch in less delicate yarn for practice.

Back to Cotton
But I've also been working on the Ribbed Cotton Socks out of Sockina Cotton.
I decided to go with the US1. The gauge was a little smaller, maybe a quarter of a stitch. But the interior felt nicer on my fingers, which will feel nicer on my feet.
After doing some math, I determined I should cast on 44 sts. This seemed ridiculous even for me, but I rolled with it.
The test bit did indeed stretch out unattractively, so I frogged it, cast on 48, then decreased down to 44 sts after my standard 15 rows of cuff ribbing.
You can see the decreases happening in the top picture.

Princess Time
In the mean time, I've also decided these socks are a good candidate for a Princess Sole.
It's not that the yarn isn't soft, but it doesn't have the squish that wool sock yarn does. Based on my experience with my other cotton socks, I think the smooth interior will be more pleasant.
However, based on my experience with the ladder that formed on the sole of my New Year's Socks, I thought it might be best to work the sole of the Ribbed socks all on one needle.
That is, usually I knit socks with the stitches distributed on four needles and a fifth for working.
I want these socks on three needles with a fourth for working.
This will be easier to accomplish on my 6" Clovers rather than my 5" Brittanies.

Now We Get to the Doily
But, of course, my long US1 needles are in the Damn Doily, which has been back in the dining room credenza since we took that trip to my in-laws' the other month.
Ooops.
So in a desperate attempt to free my needles so I can knit my socks, I've been devoting all my knitting time to the doily!
Yippee!
As of last night, I'm on row 55. The goal is 60 rows for the center, then two rows each of knitting and crocheting for the border.
It occurs to me I should be strong and jump straight into the third and final doily as soon as I finish this one.
Will power being my strong point, an all.

Yo YOs

After work yesterday I went to a Lace 101 class at Knitting Central.
D was teaching it, she does a lot of nice lace knitting and has taught it in the past. (She's also a busy girl and hasn't updated her blog in a while.)
Did you know there are five different ways to work yarn overs, depending if you are going from knit to knit, knit to purl, purl to knit, etc.?
Yeah, you read that right five ways!
I had no clue, which is why I crashed the class. She was showing me some when we were working Saturday and I was dumbfounded.
I won't go into detail here, but would encourage you to take a class at your friendly local yarn store if you have a burning desire to know.
If you can't wait for a class, I believe there was an informative discussion of YOs on that blog let me explaiKnit.
(Which might indicate that I just accidentally lied about not knowing there were five different YOs. Well, let's say I knew there were different YOs, but maybe not exactly five. Do you forgive me?)
But it's so much easier to have someone show you these things.
During class, D discussed the uses of different increases and decreases and the various YOs.
She explained that there are different abbreviations that can be used to indicate just which YO should be worked, but most patterns (American ones, at least) just say "YO." This forces the knitter to decide for themselves, which doesn't offer much help to those knitter who don't know about the different YOs.
Poor YO-less knitters.
Then we made a squidgy little sample swatch, practicing the YOs, and getting a feel for the pattern for the scarf they'll make.
I say they because, as you know, I have way to many deadline projects going on to stop for another scarf at the moment (although it is quite lovely).
Of course, once I started working some of the new/different YOs I actually had trouble working the standard YO. sigh.

Crochet YOs
This knitting business is very complicated, with its five different ways to make a hole.
When you want to make a hole in crochet all you do is work a chain. The more chains you work, the bigger your hole.
Doesn't get much simpler.
Of course, in crochet they aren't called yarn overs, they are called spaces.

Relevance to my life
I'm not sure how this new information will influence my current projects.
The YOs on the Eyelet and Feather scarf are all between two knit stitches.
And the Harf, thankfully, doesn't have YOs at all!
It might all come into play, however, for the scarf I want to make with my Mohair Splash yarn. I would have to look at the stitch pattern I selected to see where the YOs fall.
But that is a task for another day.

Speaking of Scarves
Cynthia was at the store, so I showed her my progress on the Eyelet and Feather Scarf in the Cashmere Sock Yarn in relation to submitting it to the book.
She thought I should go up a needle size. She suggested it would get me more length on the finished piece.
Fortunately there is time to swatch and fiddle around some more. I do have a little over a month before the deadline. I'll probably work on that tonight.
Actually, I have two interviews tonight for my next Yarn Market News article, so I'm not sure how much knitting I'll accomplish.
Last night I didn't get home until 9 pm. As I was pretty fried at that point, I actually wimped out and worked on the Harf.
With the potential needle change for the blue scarf the Harf actually required less brain power!

Yawn

Guess I'm just a tease.
I know ya'll will be disappointed to hear I didn't work on Sundae last night.
Yeah, I'm mean like that.
I did work on the Harf. I'm about halfway through the second panel repeat on the left hand side.
Actually, there is no "about" about it. I'm on row 20, which is just beyond the halfway mark.
Remember, the goal is three panel repeats to get it to match the right hand side in dimensions. Then both halves need another half panel and I can graft them.
So it's coming along.
Of all my current projects, the Harf is the only one with a legitimate, not self-imposed deadline as the contest entry date is in August.
I worked on Hubby's sock while doing proofreading at work. It is around row 50, so about 40 rows to go before I kitchener the sucker shut.
And the doily is back in the dining room credenza. I should get it done, but the Harf, with it's soft, squishy yarn, and deadline have been calling to me.

Oh, who am I fooling?
We're going to FRANCE!
In July!
It's sooo exciting!
Just me and Hubby. The pups are going to stay home with my mom.
Hubby has developed this habit of abandoning me over the summer to go on these globe trotting "professional development" programs. He is ostensibly learning about the history and culture of these countries so he can give his students accurate information when he is teaching class. But I know he is just taking advantage of the system.
I miss him, of course, but most of they time these trips aren't costing us anything so I'm like "go for it!" because he has always wanted to travel.
When he pulls these stunts people always ask if I'm going as well. Usually the answer is no. We couldn't afford it, and he is on a structured schedule, which usually includes housing, so it's not like we'd even get to be together.
But, since we got married, I've always wanted to go to France with him. He loves wine, and philosophy, which says France to me. I was able to spend a weekend in Paris during my Junior Year Abroad, and well, I just thought it would be an awsome trip.
So this year, he managed to score a program in Paris for a week, learning about French history and culture. This time I was like "Hell, yes, I want to go too."
So I'm going to fly out and join him on the day his program ends and then we'll spend that week running loose across the French countryside. Which means Hubby will get two weeks in France and I'll get one.
We're thinking we'll rent a car and do a road trip.
He's looking into flights and the car and hotel options even as I type.
Well, he'll probably get the flight and the car first. The hotels can come after he figures out our itinerary.
We probably won't spend much time in Paris. He'll have just spent a week there and I've been already, so we'll want to maximize our time in other locations and maybe just hit the highlights so we can have pictures together at the Eifell Tower and such.
Oh, I'm all aflutter.

Furry Little Creeps

All three of them!

Knitting Update
First up, though, we were at the in-laws for the weekend, I took Monday off work, which is why I've been scarce the last few days.
I took the doily stuff and Hubby's Sox to work on.
I took the finished doily as well, so show my mother-in-law. They are for her friend, after all, and she hasn't seen it. She thought it was quite lovely. I was able to work through row 25 over the weekend. I believe I determined the center needs to go to row 60. Of course, this one will go much quicker since I won't have to fiddle around trying to reach the correct diameter.
Hubby's Sox has been turned, picked up, and gusset decreased. I'm on row 36 on the foot with a goal of 75 before starting the toe decreases. I was able to work on the sock in the car on the ride home, since it is plain old stockinette stitch and I don't have to look at it.

Harf Stuff
The Harf didn't get to make the trip. When I was working the first half, I ended up attaching a second ball of yarn to the bottom half of the provisional cast-on to test working the pattern down from that point in order to ensure my crazy construction would work.
This made it rather cumbersome to drag around the house from storage in the dining room to the living room so I could work on it.
This second half does not have an extra ball of yarn hanging from it, but I still think of it as cumbersome to travel with.
Anyway, I did work on the Harf last night after we got home. I was tired of working on thin and thinner (sock, doily).
I did end up deciding against trying to flip the cables. It might look more funky than cool to suddenly have them switch direction at the peak of the hood. And I wasn't looking forward to either reworking the entire section, or attempting to jerry-rig the cables.
However, I did discover a new mnemonic to help me remember the cable cross.
Previously, it was first cable front. But last night it finally registered that on this half the first cable is the back edge of the piece, so back/back, front/front still sort of helps.
Speaking of the Harf, the other day someone found my blog by searching for "harf knitting pattern." I wonder if they were disappointed when they realized I don't have a pattern available yet? Although they did look around a bit.
Still, it surprised the daylights out of me that someone should search on "harf." I mean, it's not like I really thought I'd invented a new word when I dubbed it that, but I still thought I was terribly clever.

Puppy Tail
So, about the dogs.
We were at the in-laws because this was the first weekend of Hubby's spring break.
Despite knowing first hand how hard he works during the school year, and how much he needs this two week break, I can't help a childish burst of jealousy that he gets to sleep in while I have to get up.
At least I get to sleep in until 6:30 since I don't have to get up and cook his breakfast.
Well, apparently the puppies had just too much fun at grandma and grandpa's house over the weekend because they didn't come downstairs with me this morning!
Not even Baru, who always comes down with me first thing because he's a mama's boy.
No, pups came stumbling down around 7, just as I was getting ready to go back upstairs to get ready for work. And, of course, they wanted to be let out right then, and they wanted their breakfast as soon as they came back in.
And I complied, because they are terribly spoiled puppies.
To add insult to injury, they were both back in bed with Hubby by the time I got out of the shower (and Baru was the one in the prime spot on my pillow).
Oh well, at least Hubby is doing the grocery shopping alone while I'm at work.
In case you're wondering, Hubby was up around 8 when I was getting ready to leave the house and he expressed appropriate appreciation for me making his coffee.

Cable Chaos

Maybe I exaggerate, but you are accustomed to me exaggerating by now.
I threaded a US3, 24 inch Addi Turbo circular needle as a lifeline through the first row of the left half of the Harf, then ripped it all out.
Almost as soon as I started working forward again, I had to stop and think about what I was doing, because I cabled on row 3.
Such a pain, all this thinking.

So Much For Easy
When I was knitting the first half, I worked a front cable cross on the first cable and a back cable cross on the second cable so it would be easy to remember which one to work.
This worked out well since the first cable was also the front of the piece (near my face) so front edge, front cross.
Well, when I cast on for the second half, I happily continued in this manner—and immediately realized the cables weren't crossing in the same direction any more.
How can I explain this without pictures?
They were spinning toward each other, rather than flowing in the same direction.
Although this might actually have the potential to look quite nice, it's not what I had in mind.
Keep in mind, I'm only doing this terribly difficult construction of starting at the bottom of the hood, working both sides of the hood and then grafting them shut, then knitting the scarves, and all this other nonsense I'm struggling with—because I want to make sure I don't run out of yarn.

Not For Public Consumption
And this crazy construction just won't do if I want to try to sell this pattern. (Depending on how that works out with the contest—which I'm going to win. Staying positive!)
Really, who in their right mind would buy a pattern with that construction?
I can see it now: "Oh, look at this nice hooded scarf. Why is the skill level marked 'experienced'?"
The goal is to be able to write the pattern up so you can cast on at one end, work the scarf, work the hood, work the scarf, then cast off on the other end like a normal person.
In that scenario, all the cables will proceed in the same direction from one end to the other.

But On the Other Hand
Now, in theory, one could write the pattern so that the cables swap sides at the peak of the hood. And this might look attractive.
(This might also allow me to get away with an extra flat row between the cables. I fear the possibility both sides will want to cross on the very row I need to graft.)
But considering the trouble I'm having remembering to swap them, what trouble would it give someone who has worked the entire length of the scarf and half the hood?
They would have the first/front, second/back motion really ingrained in their brain.
Well, I can ponder this situation for a few days. I see much doily knitting in my future this weekend.

Reverse Shaping

I am 10 rows into the second half of the Harf.
This is good, because it's not very many to rip out.
See, despite not being able to think totally straight on account of my headache yesterday, I went ahead and cast on for the left half of the Harf.
This took several attempts as they all kept coming out too tight and it was difficult to work the stitches. I'm not sure how many attempts, but enough that I switched to the other end of the ball as I was concerned the first end was getting mangled.

Mirror, Mirror
Although it occurred to me at some point last week, or even earlier this week, that when I start the left side of the hood bit I would have to remember to work the cable panel at the other end of the needle so the pattern would line up properly.
Ok, stick with me.
As you can see in this photo, since I work the stitches from right to left, the cable panel is on the right hand edge of the piece when the right/correct/front is facing.
So for the half of the Harf I'm working now, I needed the cable panel to be on the left hand side.
But as I wasn't thinking straight last night, I followed my notes from the first half.

Keep Going
At this point you might be thinking, "But Ann, you've figured out that you need one panel repeat sans increases to bridge the top of the head. Why not keep working forward like a normal person?"
Well, that occurred to me last night when I realized my error. But I'm not going to do it.
I know I changed elements quite a bit while making the prototype, adding cables and such, but it seemed to me that the increase end and the decrease end weren't harmonious. This might have been because they ended up spaced differently once I switched to reverse stockinette, or because I kept moving them toward the center when adding cables and such. I just didn't like the looks of it and thought doing increases on both sides will balance it better.

Flip It
So now you're thinking, "But Ann, you've done that provisional cast on. Why not just work from the bottom edge of the new piece and avoid ripping back?"
Well, I though of that too. But I'm probably not going to do it.
First, for some bizarre reason I've got my heart set on working both sides up and grafting them in the middle. I guess I like to make my knitting life difficulty, because, you know, the kitchener stitch is just soooo much fun to work.
And I can be awfully stubborn when I put my mind to it.
Also, if you remember when I finally started knitting in earnest, I (attempted to) pointed out the way the stitches change direction on the other end of a provisional cast on. Everything is shifted half a stitch.
I'm concerned that if I do flip the piece and work from the bottom, when it comes time to graft the two pieces together, the mismatch will make it more difficult than I already anticipate it being.
Not to mention keeping any wonky bits balanced on both sides.

One Last Hurdle
Of course, I will make an attempt to grab the stitches on the first row so I can just rip out and then go forward right away. Rather than having to start from scratch.
I'm not sure how successful I'll be, or it this stunt will actually prove easier than just casting on again.

Half Harfed

The Harf, my dears, is finally worth photographing.
Not that I can get a good picture of it.
The day is rather overcast and gloomy, and even with the dining room light cranked to the max, the camera flash went off and washed it out. It's hard to take a good picture of red yarn.
Well, it's just hard for me to take a good picture.
Anyway, this is the first half of the hood bit. Remember, I will be doubling back later to work the scarf ends down from were the blue circle is.
(The blue circle is the, uh, short circular cable out of my Denise set held closed by attaching both ends to a single extender. Which will make total sense if you have a Denise set.)
I've worked to my target number of stitches, actually two stitches more than planned. When I hit the target it didn't seem to measure quite the 17 inches I was aiming for, which would be a difference between the Invernal yarn and the Cascade 220. I have three full heart panel repeats.
At this point, I've transfered the center stitches to a piece of scrap yarn so I can:

1. Take an accurate measure of the depth.
   
2. Use this needle to start the other half.
   

I'm going to work the second half to match, but I'm already thinking I'll have to work this half for more rows before I join them.
As it stands now, I think the hood bit will be a little to small (short?) length-wise, i.e. ear to ear, to fit over my head comfortably.

Getting Centered
Since I can't just work extra plain rows in between the two halves, I'm thinking I'll have to work another half repeat of the cable panel on each one. The top on one and the bottom on the other. Then I'll be able to work the graft over row 17 or 18 of the panel, which are the rest rows between the heart points in the center of the panel.
With the rest rows between the panels, this will add about 18 rows to either side. But I think that will work out.
I had wanted the ribbing on the scarf to end right around the collar bone for the switch to the reverse stockinette stitch for the hood. It will fall a bit below the collar bone, but should work out.
I might also work a few more increase rows, since I'm working extra rows anyway.
I like the way it curves a bit. This is probably because of the way I have the increases spaced toward the center rather than right on the ends. I'm also working right and left slanting increases, in an attempt to provide some shaping.
I'd been toying with the idea of trying to shape the top over the crown of the head a bit, but with the curve and the extensive flat part the extra panel will add, I think I'll be fine.
Also, the Invernal has more drape than the Cascade did, which should help with fit.
Ok, I'm working from home today because I've got a bad head because all this crazy weather sucks. I've been upright for about four hours now, which I think is a pretty good run. So I'm going back to bed.

Apple Thieving Puppy

(no yarn was harmed in the making of this photo.)
Yesterday morning I gave Hubby half an apple at breakfast because we are trying to eat healthier.
Yesterday evening I asked whether he ate the other half I'd left on the kitchen island when he got home from school.
He said no.
We looked at each other until I got the nerve up to ask whether he had eaten the half from the day before.
Again he responded no.
So we both looked at Samson, who looked back looking innocent.
Because we all knew he had taken them, but as they were apples and entirely edible, there was no evidence of his crime.

Entrapment
This suspicion was confirmed this morning. I was standing in front of the fruit bowl fiddling with the olive oil when I realized Samson was laying on the floor watching me very intently.
So I picked up an apple, causing his ears to perk up and his gaze to become even more intense.
I casually walked over and put it on the cutting board on the end of the kitchen island. And Samson got up and followed me.
Sigh.
He's going to be disappointed, though, because I brought the whole apple for my lunch.

The Sad Part 1
Baru loves fruit. Actually, Baru loves food. But I doubt highly Samson shares with him. Poor Baru. It's possible Baru heads up to the Puppy Fort as soon as I leave, so he isn't even a witness to Samson's crimes. Of course, he still gets yelled at too. My coworkers think I should set up internet cameras so I can see what mischief they actually get up to.

The Sad Part 2
Samson is going to be 5 in May. We've lived in this house since April 2005, and he has been stealing food off the island after we leave for work basically since the day the island was set up.
It would appear that my dog is a faster learner than I am that it would not occur to me he would swipe something as tasty as half an apple!

The Harf
I did indeed work on the Harf while watching the president's address last night. I don't think it effected my gauge too much.
I've completed two cable panels, but still have about 20 more stitches to increase on this side. Then I'll cast on for the other side.
It would be very nice if I can manage to make my graft point land at a flat spot in the edge cables and between two cable panels. Or at least an easy spot in the panels. But I won't know for sure until I've finished increasing.
So far the edges aren't curling much, but I don't know if that is because the ribbing next to the cables is having the desired effect, or because the cord on the other end is holding things flat.
Only time will tell.

Cruising

Despite all those blog posts yesterday, I actually got quite a bit of knitting done.
Pictures? What are those?
I'm on row 40, or is it 50? Am I into my second cable panel repeat?
Maybe I shouldn't blog about a project that I don't have on hand...
No, I'm on my second panel repeat, that's right.
I worked one panel repeat with the scarf bit, like I did with the prototype, then I started the second repeat and started the increases for the hood.
Although it doesn't matter how long I worked the scarf bit, since I'll just be extending it later, I figured one full repeat would have a nice balance and be easy to keep track of start and finish wise.
My original, brilliant plan was to cast on both sides and work them at the same time up to the top of the hood. But with all the fiddling at the cast on I started knitting and didn't look back.
In theory, I could stop, cast on again and catch up, but it also might be confusing to work both halves at the same time.
Which was another good reason to have easy to find starting points in the pattern.

Speaking of Increases
These increases seem to be moving along faster than the decreases on the prototype did. And I thought the increases on the prototype moved faster than the decreases, so maybe I'm not losing my mind.
Or maybe by the time I got to the decreases I was starting to get tired of the prototype and was ready to work on the real one.
Either way, I'm cruising along.
The Invernal yarn is lovely and soft to work with. I can't really tell about drape and such, since I have that 5.5 inch cord holding the live stitches from the other half, it's keeping the end suspended and not letting it flop around in a normal manner.
Actually, I'm glad I've got some length on the piece now, having that stiff cord right on top of me was kind of awkward.
When I was still working with the prototype, which was in Cascade 220, I was thinking I might need to attempt some shaping on the top of the hood. However, with this softer yarn, which also has a slightly different gauge, I'm thinking shaping won't be necessary.
But I won't know for sure until I reach the top. Which is much knitting time away.

Birthday Dinner Update
This morning Boss Man was mocking me because Hubby and I thought the parsnips were potatoes. He didn't actually say "And you call yourself a foodie" but I can read between the lines.
Well, he just came by to see what smelled so good.
I flipped the parsnips to the edge of the plate and declared "Do these not look like potatoes!?"
He agreed they did.
I am vindicated, our fine dining palate reputation is saved!

(Almost) False Start

I finally cast on for the real Heart Harf.
This is the red Invernal yarn from Aslan Trend that I showed you a few weeks ago. There was some confusion about the color of the harf—the orange and yellow one was just a test run to see how the pattern would look and edgings and stuff. This red one is the real deal.
Of course, as soon as I started I was reminded of the importance of swatching with the yarn and needles you intend to use for the project.
However, this yarn is rather soft and fluffy and I don't think it would have survived the trauma of being worked, torn out, and reworked. I was actually seeing signs of distress from messing with the cast on edge. You can't see it in the photo, but the angora fuzz is quite pronounced where I was messing around. (The yarn is 50% angora!)

Big or Little
I was working with a US7 needle, which is what I used for the test model out of Cascade 220, and the fabric seemed a little floppy. I pulled out a US6, cast on enough stitches to work the cable panel, some ribbing, and one cable edge, and worked a few rows.
The US6 version is at the top in the photo, which you might have guessed because it is so much smaller.
At first I kind of liked the US6 version better. The fabric was denser and more similar to the fabric of the test model, but it also wasn't as soft as the US7 version. But it was late at night and I couldn't deal with the situation, so I went to bed.
Today I worked both pieces through row 16 of the cable panel, so they would be even.
I've decide to stick with the US7 version. The US6 version is denser and almost looks like a different color. I think if I was making a sweater out of this yarn I'd go with the smaller needle.
But the US7 seems to have more drape and the fabric is more soft and snuggly, which I think will be important for something wrapped around my head and neck.
Although the cables might pop a wee bit more with the smaller needle, I don't think I really loose much going up a size. Besides, the version on the larger needle seems to have a little more spread, which is a good thing since I don't want the scarf portion to be too narrow.

Getting Provisional
There was also some confusion about the construction of the harf. Remember, "harf" stand for hat + scarf, which is my adorable name for it instead of "hooded scarf." So, yes, there will be long scarf tails coming down. I didn't work the scarf portion on the test model as it would have taken too much time. The hood portion is the bit that needed testing/designing, so I cut right to the chase on the test model.
At the same time, while the hood portion is the important bit, I want the scarf portions to be the same length.
I bought three skeins of this yarn, which wiped out the supply at the store, so I have to get it right the first time or I'll be scrambling to find more yarn.
Because of this, I decided to start "in media res" with a provisional cast on, work the hood bit from both sides to the middle, which I'll graft shut, then pick up the cast on edges and work the two scarf tails down simultaneously.
In this manner I'm hoping to ensure the hood is made, have the scarf end up even, and use up every scrap of yarn.

Being Too Clever, Again?
(remember, you can click on small pictures to go to a bigger version on flickr.)
Of course, as we all know, when you change knitting direction, such as with the other end of a provisional cast on, you sort of loose a stitch.
I was concerned this would be obvious and I'd be forced to start in a traditional manner. But, as you can see in the second picture, I don't think the change in direction is terribly obvious. I even put in arrows to try to help you see it.
Is this a case where no one should be that close to my knitting to tell? Not quite, since I'll be entering it in the contest, they might examine it closely and notice.
On the other hand, funky construction shouldn't effect my chances too much. I looked at the entry form again. They want the finished object, not the pattern. The winning items will be photographed, replicated, and the copy will be auctioned off to benefit charity. So my funky construction won't matter until their knitter needs to make one. (see me being positive?)

More Technical Stuff
(Baru says HI!)
In case you're wondering, I used Judy's Magic Cast On rather than a crochet chain...for no reason I can articulate. Didn't want to fuss with the chain I guess.
Because of the ribbing and reverse stockinette stitch, I had to go through and reverse a number of stitches to get the pattern correct. IE, they were all presenting as, uh, purls and I had to drop them and pick them back up as knits.
Pulled it off rather successfully, if I do say so myself.
In the picture with the arrows, I have actually worked, uh, three rows going down, just to see how it would look and make sure it works. I think it looks good. I'm also rather pleased with myself for managing to get the cables going down to cross correctly. Hopefully I'll remember what I did when it comes time to work it for real.

Mix & Match (lots of pictures)

Wow have I really not written a post since Thursday 2/12? Well, I attempted a post on Sunday 2/15, but then it was dinner time or something and I stopped. So to pick up where I left off on Thursday...
The harf is moving along, to the neglect of all other projects.
When I started this photo shoot the puppies where nowhere to be found, but you can see how it ended up.
I guess Samson decided I wasn't paying enough attention to him. Actually, he was the one not paying attention to me. Both times we went out to play fetch he ran off in the corner by himself. Fine! Be that way. At least Baru plays with me. (Wait, what was I doing playing fetch on Sunday? I was working at the store Sunday, this doesn't make sense.)

Two Tones and Textures
Since this is the prototype, I've been experimenting with some different ideas.
I wonder if there are designers out there who have ideas spring forth fully formed and they just knit the final project in one blow. They are probably the people who spend more time in the sketching phase. I can't draw to save my life, so I just plunge in.
(Huh, I could have sworn I wrote more than this, oh well.)
Ignore the fact it changes from orange to yellow. That is simply a matter of I ran out of orange.
An intentional switch, which you might not be able to make out, was from stockinette stitch to reverse stockinette stitch. Which is putting the bumpy side on the outside. If you can see those faint lines, they are caused by the switch.
I also went from a garter stitch and ribbed edge on the leading edge to a 4 stitch cable. I then added a 4 stitch cable to the back edge. I'm really digging the cables and I'm glad I thought of it.
The only problem is that the edges are curling in now. Which I expected on the back edge because of the stockinette stitch base, but not so much on the front edge. Very annoying.

Combating Curling
So I took it to the store with me on Sunday to get opinions. D admired it and we think if I re-established the ribbing next to the cables that might help with the curling. I also threw two knit stitches back on the interior side of the cable panel. It does frame the cables nicely.
I didn't have enough left to knit to really test the theory, but it is showing potential.
I made some of the changes by dropping stitches and picking them up again with a crochet hook, but I couldn't do the entire length because of that lifeline I put in (the black and white yarn you can see there) but never used. Not sure why I ran it now. Anyway.
I was only able to put in one knit stitch on the front edge, which I think looks off, so I'm probably going to add stitches to the front edge in general so I can have a k2,p2 pair there.

Progress?
Despite knitting my little fingers off on Saturday, I felt like I didn't get anywhere and still had many rows to decrease before I got back to my original number. Oddly, I don't remember the increases taking that long. Maybe I worked the increases in more sporadic chunks of time so it felt faster, but spending most of the day Saturday on the couch really let me see how far I got.
Regardless, on Monday I finally reached the magic number.
I had planned to then work a portion of the scarf part (the ribbed section at the bottom of the orange half) on this end to match the first end, but I'm so over the prototype at this point.
Really, I think I've (oh my gosh, am I ever going to finish this post? I was working on it during lunch and had to stop. I have to get it wrapped up before bedtime) accomplished/learned what I can from the prototype and I'm ready to get started with the actual knitting.

Oh, I give up, I'm posting this thing already.