Defiance

So, I had a very definite idea as to the way I wanted the ripple scarf to look.  And I thought Karin Bole's pattern would be just the ticket.  The pattern called for US6 (4mm) needles.  But I only had US8 (5mm) ones.  And not just any old US 8 needles.  THESE knitting needles:

Bought from a nice Australian shop called Coffee and a Yarn.  I mean, who wouldn't want to knit on these, right?  And what's a millimetre between friends?  So I cast on and did a few rows.  

And it was all ripply and everything.  But somehow, well, it wasn't quite right.

The thing is, I really didn't want a ridge between the changes of colour and the pattern called for a knit row after the ripple row.  But because I am so clever (sic), I knew that all I needed to do was purl that row instead.  

So, I ripped it all and started again.

And then I decided that I wasn't happy with just a couple of ripples per row.  So, I figured out that by adding 18 stitches and repeating the ripple row repeat three times instead of two, I would achieve what I wanted.  Are you with me?  So, I ripped it and started again.

And then I figured out the reason the pattern called for US 6 rather than US8 needles - the larger size left larger holes in the ripple.  And I didn't like it.  So, I ripped it and started again.  This time with the right needles. (Sensible ones without the toadstool tops.  Sniff.)

And that's when the fun started.  I have already mentioned here that I am a Serious Person with a Serious Job.  I went to school for a long time and everything.  So, somewhere along the way you would think I might have acquired the capacity to count to six.  That's basically what the pattern requires.  But no.  I have lost track of how many times I have lost track of where I am in the ripple row.  It's not difficult.  You just need to concentrate every third row in four.  And even then, and allowing for the extra 18 stitches, they are not long rows.  56 stitches.  C'mon.

Okay, so there's a definite ripple.  And that's a good thing.  And there are no ridges between the rows, so my cunning plan worked.  But the middle ripple sort of wavers there in the first few rows until I got a grip and settled into it.  And by then I'd ripped it so many times that I hadn't the heart to start yet again.

So, here it is.  The beginnings of a wavery ripple.

And no-one could ever accuse it of being shop bought...

I have to say that, despite looking a bit more hairy than I expected, the wool is lovely to knit with and it feels soooo soft.  I think when I finish it, somewhere around 2045, I'm going to love it. That's if I don't rip it and start again.

C.x