Why I should have listened to the voices in my head....

So I finally bit the bullet and I sat down last night with the new pattern and how much yarn it's going to take for the two throws I wanted to do (see earlier post).... Did the math...

CRAP
(sorry mom)

Not going to be enough. Not even close. It would be more of a pillow cover (granted a large pillow, but still) than a throw. The voices in my head at the yarn sale that told me to buy extra, but alas, I chose not to listen to them. This is one situation where I can think that it WAS a good idea to listen to those voices... despite what the doctors say.

So I'm either going to completely frog what I have and start over - mind you, this would be the 6th time - and try to find an ok pattern this time around... or give up for now and try to find coordinating yarn at another time to make it big enough. I'm thinking option 2, a) because I have a list of things that I really do need before Christmas b) because I think I might snap if I have to work on it right now.

But maybe now I'll finally finish the hats I drunkenly promised my friends a while ago :)

Why you shouldn't decide to do a DIY Holiday the last week of November...

I rather dislike giving presents that really have no function or just doesn't fit into someone's life style... Like I have a rather nice porcelain picture frame from a friend's mother that is quite lovely, but it happens to be covered in Irish proverbs and a whole lot of shamrocks. Which would be fine, if I was Irish. But with a long incomprehensible Polish last name, it some how doesn't really fit me or my home decor.

Two of my really good friends have gotten engaged to wonderful guys, and I wanted to make them some thing special for the holidays... and a really late engagement present. Suddenly it struck me - nice soft warm crocheted throws! Function, style, and the DIY aspects of it all made sense.

Too bad I only got the yarn last week.

A whole week, and you might think I have gotten somewhere... alas no. Apparently I have been having a pattern issue... or rather a pattern interpretation issue. I started one pattern, a simple sc/tc combination worked in rows across. Sounds simple, but I could not get the foundation chain right for the life of me. Tried it like 4 times, nada. Couldn't get it to add up right. Fine...

So I switch to a granny square pattern... looked really nice, but it did have one main issue... the pattern itself was not symmetrical. Which when I finished a block, it looked great, but the nonsesicalness of it not being even was driving me up a wall. I mean, why on earth was it not the same on both sides?!I did it like 4 times, and still made no sense.

On to the third set! I went to my trusty favorite block book, 200 Crochet Blocks, which I should have just done in the first place. Did a couple of demos in the yarn I'm using (Lion Brand Color Waves in "Pebble Beach" and Red Heart Casual Cot'n in "Black Grape" - not the greatest stuff to work with, but hey, I'm cheap!) and found 2 blocks I like so I can alternate them.

So I have 3 3/4 blocks done. Out of 40. I think these might be more New Years gifts... or even Valentines Day at this rate. Sigh... but should be making more progress that I have some idea of what's going on.