"The only difference between an experienced knitter and new knitter is that the experienced knitter makes bigger mistakes faster. Be bold; there are no terrible consequences in knitting." ~ Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

                                           

When we headed to the Cape last month, I took along all of my recently completed knitting projects that still needed to have the ends woven in - if you are a knitter, you know that this is a tedious job - why I always leave this till the very end is just a sign of my tendency to procrastinate. I had 3-4 baby sweaters, and a shawl or two - enough to keep me busy while we were there.  I stuck the materials for a new project in my bag just in case I finished these faster than I anticipated. Honestly - they took so little time that I am yet again frustrated by my tendency to not weave the ends in as I go along.

Anyhow! I did get started on a new project - Zuzu's Petals, with the name coming from my all time favorite holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life. The yarn that I chose for this project is in the shade of "Ice Queen" and is from the Freia Ombre collection. It is a lovely yarn to work with, but I admit to being a bit ticked when off about half way through my knitting I found that it had been knotted and tied - not what I expect from such a lovely and pricey yarn. Onward. I had not brought a printed copy of the pattern, but chose to rely on the downloaded version on my ipad. Well into it, I was ready to begin the lace portion. I knew that I had the correct number of stitches to proceed, so proceed I did. I scrolled up to what I thought was the next row. No matter how many times (many, and into the wee hours of the morning), I knit and ripped back this next row, I could not get it right. I counted and recounted; said every stitch and step aloud as I began the next row again. Each and every time I did not have the correct number of stitches to correctly complete the following row. Ugh! I checked online for errata - none. I checked to see how many successfully completed projects of Zuzu's Petals were posted to Ravelry - 3,244 - I had to concede that the problem was with the knitter - me. So, I set the project aside, emailed a few friends I hoped would be at knitting the following Monday and I could ask for help, and went to bed.

When Monday rolled around and I took all of my materials to my knitting group, and as the first person arrived, I began to tell her my tale of woe. I showed her the pattern on my ipad and suddenly, suddenly I realized that I had not scrolled all the way back up to the top of the page - I had omitted 3 entire rows of the pattern! Knitter error indeed! 

I'm rarely frustrated by my knitting, but this got to me, especially since the pattern, once resumed correctly, was a breeze to complete. One important lesson learned - print out the pattern! Anyhow - it's done and I love it. It even snowed yesterday so that I had a perfect backdrop for pictures!

Zuzu's Petals s actually a cowl, and proved interesting when it came time to block it - extra large vinegar bottle to the rescue! I have completed a different shawl since then (now blocking), but I can look back and laugh at my "knitter error" on a project that should have been a piece of cake!