A Lesson in Not Being Complacent

Friday saw the latest issue of 'Yarn Forward' being published. I dutifully trotted off to the Newsagents for my reserved copy. One of the reasons I like this magazine is that all it's patterns are in real sizes for real women..... they fit me! There is usually something that turns my head and I think 'hhhhhhmmmmm', followed by a scampering off to my knitting room to see what I could make the item up in......

This months 'thing' is 'Crystalise' a slouchy beret type hat. Hats are a novelty to me. But saying that I've made four beanies, okay all from the same pattern! But Crystalise spoke to me. And I had one of the alternative yarns - King Cole Bamboo Cotton, gifted to me from JustAli. In a lovely Lime Green. Lime Green is out of my safety colour box, but this colour I like!

So I gathered my needles, reminding myself along the way that I still must tidy my knitting room and at least put my needles away after using them, especially DPN's as not having a full set is so annoying when you want to use them........

I sat down to start. The pattern is quite straight forward. And that is where I started going wrong. I became too complacent...... I wasn't quite paying enough attention as it was too simple..... mistakes started happening......... I frogged four rows - no I tinked four rows..... and carried on.

I finally finished the main stitch pattern, with only two minor mistakes which weren't too obvious. It was time to start the crown and change to DPN's.

Oh dear! I dropped stitches off the DPN's, not something I do. I sort of hashed them and got them back on the needles, as the naughty stitches had not only fell off the needles but had gone down a row or two......

Nine rounds later, with growing discomfort and The Frog Chorus becoming louder in my head, I looked at what I had done. On one needle the pattern had followed through lovely, very nice! With intrepidation, I looked at what was on the other needles...... to my sinking un-amazement there was a different sort of pattern......


There was only one thing for it........... ribbit ribbit ribbit went the hat and The Frog Chorus was silenced.

I started again last night, from the ribbing. I'm crossing off each row as it's done. I'm Paying Attention, reviewing stitches and giving a big sigh of relief when I get to the end of the row with the correct number of stitches.

So this is Crystalise #2. It's well worth doing and the pattern is pretty.

The holes zig-zag, four times in total, with four holes to each zig or zag - What ever happened to Zig and Zag - aka Ziggaman and Zaggamuffin??!!

Although the middle does look small, it isn't and fit me nicely. I did try the pre-frogged hat on and that did spur me on to give it a re-try. I'm looking forward to finishing it, as per pattern, without any minor mistakes.... and wearing the blooming thing!! As mentioned before, the Pattern is called 'Crystalise', designed by Katya Frankel, and in Yarn Forward, August Issue 16. Look it up!