Saved from Swatching

So, the Hue Shift Afghan has only a few more rows left to knit (and alllllll of those ends) and it will be done.  I could have finished the knitting by now, but a few things have it off to the side.  We've had some unseasonably warm weather not well suited for having a big ol' blanket on my lap.  It will be back and forth with the temperatures, so the project will have its opportunities for finishing the knitting, and I have a backlog of episodes of Days of Our Lives to watch for weaving in all those ends.  It's going to freeze again this week, so who knows? 

Anyway, with the upcoming completion of this project, I've started looking for the next one.  Now, before you mention my Bridgewater, I'll thank you to know that Rock Island refuses to either require less yardage or to magic a particular skein of handspun to have sufficient yardage to knit it.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  

So, I kept up my search for what I was going to knit, mostly flipping through my library.  There's only so long I can just look through patterns.  I either cast on, or I set it all aside and do something else.  Eventually, the itch of the needles got me, and it was time to wind the yarn. 

Side note, with all of the bouts of warmer weather, I have done a bit of work out in the yard.  In and amongst the new green is plenty of brown, and hidden amongst that I found the poison-est of ivies--poison ivy.  I just didn't know it at the time, and it took a few days before the rash revealed itself, and suddenly I had quite a few patches of it.  Did you know that you can get calamine in a spray formulation?  I didn't but I do now, and it is mighty fine.  So, yeah, it wasn't just the needles that have been itching, but I am doing much better now and mostly healed.  

Anyway, I settled on knitting something from Hunter Hammersen's Curls, a book I've never knit from and which is already discontinued.  I decided it was a good choice for maximizing my handspun.  Then I narrowed it down to a few patterns within the book and started swatching.  I changed needle size and tried a different chart, and I still wasn't sure.  My enthusiasm was starting to wane.  

Suddenly I was saved by the arrival of a new pattern, and the new yarn I ordered in anticipation of said pattern had arrived the day before.  I think I'll just knit these for a while.  It's probably some of the best use of my time for now.   

A White Tiger and a Regular Tiger

In the vein of time being impossible to track and possibly being meaningless while also looming larger than ever, I finally knit these tigers just as the Year of the Tiger ends.  Sure, the new pattern for the Lunar New Year helped prompt me to get going with this, but that wasn't all.  My nephew recently had a birthday, and it was a special one.  It's hard to believe that he is now twenty-one.  He was a precious little baby, a precious little boy, and is now a precious young man.  I want to post picture after picture of him, but I'll resist the impulse.  

You know how small children often like to share animal facts and their enthusiasm regarding their special favorites?  He was no different, and tigers were there at the top of his list.  He loved tigers and was especially intrigued with white tigers.  Still, in his young mind, to declare a favorite would have been disloyal.  So when he was asked about his favorite animal, he would most often respond, "A white tiger, and a regular tiger."  I managed to crochet a regular tiger for him when he was little but never got around to making a white one.  So, for the occasion of his twenty-first birthday, I added a white tiger and a regular tiger to his birthday presents.   

New Year, New Blog Post

We made it!  That last bit was a bit rocky, (no need to worry--life is like that sometimes) and for the last couple of weeks of the year, I had a lot of trouble keeping track of what day or time it was.  Much of that lingers, but it seems a little less difficult.  I don't have a personal 2022 wrap-up, and I'm just fine with that.  We're still here, and that is enough. 

Anyway, you're here for amazing knitting content, right?  My Featherweight Wrap to Knit has all its ends woven in and it even had a nice soak to wash away the years and, well, you know what a difference a dunk makes.  I don't feel like a modeled photo shoot, and it laid out on the floor is not all that impressive for a picture.  It is a mainly stockinette, three-quarter-ish-length sleeve, black, lightweight, cardigan.  You'll just have to trust me on the finished status, mkay?  I like it and might even knit another of this pattern one day.  

I finished knitting the final quadrant of the Hue Shift Afghan.  I really thought I would have sewn the quadrants together or worked in the ends during the ultra-cold weather, but that didn't happen.  I didn't even drag out the other pieces of the blanket.  I'll get to it someday.  I have some shows I want to watch and I think working on this while I do so will be a good match.   

I knit some little bits for the nieces and nephews.  I wanted to make many more tiny things, and I even thought of sewing little stockings for each of them to fill with doodads and little knits, but that was not to be, and it was probably just as well.  In the end, a snowperson and a chocolate chip cookie felt like the right amount of knitting to attach to their Christmas gifts.  

Welcome to 2023!  I'm glad you're still here.              

Nearly a Nickel Creek Title*

My Kindle Fire has been unwell for a while, and I've been sad about it.  Not only have I enjoyed the device over the years, how I got it is special to me.  As it has been getting progressively sadder, I have tried all of the wishful thinking and lucky rituals trying to get it well.  I gotta say, the one where you hold down the power button for twenty-eight seconds in the light of the full moon, surrounded by a circle of power formed by all your best charging cables seemed the most promising, but alas, it was not.  Finally, I managed to do a factory reset, and now I'm back up and running again.  Woo-hoo!  

So, yeah, what with the end of the Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest 2022 (no, I was not a winner, nor did I expect to be) and a bunch of other stuff, I've not done quite as much knitting.  I mean, I was cranking out the tiny creations all summer, so the slowdown is not unexpected.  I don't think I've shown all of the little creations.  Anyway, I do have ideas that would get my needles going.  I would say I'm excited to show you, but much of what I have is not exciting at all.  Of course, now you're excited and feel confident that it will actually be interesting.  In thanks for your good and positive thoughts, I present you with a little bit of my knitting with my revived Kindle Fire.  It's just a couple of Fumin' Wombs from the 20th Anniversary Knitty.    

*Why Should the Fire Die? 

No-No-Notorious, Notorious

Watching the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi has had "Don't Drink the Water" by Dave Matthews Band stuck in my head for days.  Now I'm trying to dislodge it by getting another song in there.  So...

Ah

No-no-Notorious  

Hey, it could be worse, I could have tried to change the lyrics to go along with knitting Tori the Tiny Triceratops.  Knit-Knit, Kni-tori-ous, Kni-tori-ous.  You like that better?  I get it.  You're trying to decide whether you find me more clever or more entertaining.  Tough competition on those options, so why choose? 

Anyway, back to the pattern.*  Have you checked it out, yet?  It's good, a fun knit, some assembly required, and so satisfying when you get it all together.  Yeah, that's why I've done it again.  And again.  And again.  

*Side note:  The end-of-summer sale is happening this weekend over on Mochimochiland, so check it out, if you like.

Should Have Knit More

If only I had knit more little things I would have created an awesome entry for the 2022 Mochimochiland Photo + Video Contest by now, right?  

I have this little pile of recent knits.

There's this other pile I knit before that.  

Then there's this other pile of little knits that have been just hanging out in a bag in my knitting bag by the couch.  

Don't forget the pile of tiny rabbits and carrots, 

or the gathering of little Elizabeth Warrens.  

Of course, we haven't even gotten to the biggest pile.  

Still, I'm coming up empty.  If the answer to music is more cowbell, the answer here must be more knitting, right?  I'm starting to think it's just not going to happen, and I am trying to be fine with that.  I just wanted to contribute to the event.  Oh, well.  Then again, I still have a few more days, so maybe I will manage to get something together.      

One Thing Leads to Another

Do you ever stop and try to figure out the paths your mind takes to get to a particular topic, activity, or line of thinking?  I do that pretty often.  Sometimes when I have a number of concerning things going on in life my brain tries to sort them into patterns, tries to make puzzling things make sense, works to understand things when I might not have enough information, and the next thing you know my mind has stirred up something seemingly out of nowhere.  I've got quite a bit of that going what with some family getting ready to move away, others appearing to be engaging in patterns of behavior that have historically meant they were not doing well, swirl that all up with the pandemic, climate crisis, inflation, and all of the *gestures broadly* stuff, and it doesn't take much of a leap to figure out why my brain is going the places it goes.  

Other times, the hop-skip-jump is lighthearted and fun.  Anna just announced the call for entries for the 2022 Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest and its theme, Sharing is Caring.  So, I had recently knit some corn.  Maybe sometime I'll fill you in on what got me knitting corn, but that's a story for another day.  Anyway, sharing is caring, inflation is terrible, people are in need, corn is food, I should knit more food and turn it all into an awesome stop-motion animation (a skill I do not possess) and let it join what I'm sure is going to an amazing crop (see what I did there) of entries for the contest.  So I flipped through patterns and the pearl part of the Joyful Oyster pattern from the book Adventures in Mochimochiland was a great starting point for an apple and a peach.  After that I knit a little banana, a tomato, and a lime.  At this point I get a bit mentally stuck in my bin of green yarns and unnecessarily lose too much time lamenting not having full-size skeins of Limeade Heather, Alfalfa, Green Tea Heather, and Edamame despite having mini-skeins of them all and only needing small amounts to knit tiny fruit and veg.  I can be a bit silly, for sure.  I have so much and can relax and enjoy.  Anyway, after knitting all of those healthful foods, you know I'm back to Adventures in Mochimochiland and knitting a donut.  Then my brain is back in the green bin and after another flip through Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi I've knit a little pear.  

So, yeah, I may see if I can put together an entry for the contest, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else does.  In the meantime, I think I need to knit a smaller donut and then maybe I'll try to knit up some little veggies (more green!), but maybe now that I've taken a picture and blogged these, I'm done knitting little food for now.  Sometimes I'm like that, y'know?  

Take care of yourselves and others, lean into love and allow yourself to experience the joy that is available to you. 

"Knit on, with Confidence and Hope, Through All Crises"

Well, I stumbled a bit with the confidence, remembered that hope is a discipline, and lately, we've all had plenty of crises.  It's been quite a month, hasn't it?  Not for the first, nor probably for the last, in difficult times, I turn to knitting.  Here you see my poorly photographed Pride 2022 knitting.  Not only did I knit on with hope, but I knit on with love, and I knit on for love.  

  

Not Enough Orange Yarn

Sometimes I turn to yarn and needles while I process thoughts and feelings.  Tiny heart after tiny heart.  So much loss.  So much grief.  Hate.  Fear.  Terror.   

Let the Sun Shine (ready or not for all the hot)

Spring has sprung, and that means many things.  The weather is warming, the sun is often shining, and there is so much more green.  I've been doing a little yard work, and have added some lily of the valley plants to the flower box.  With the return of leaves on trees and flowers blooming comes pollen, and with that, nobody's favorite guessing game, "Is it Allergies or is it COVID-19?"  We're still staying home, for the most part.  It's just what makes the most sense for us.  The weather has been changing quickly; the chill of our winters jumped to the warmth of early summer, skipping over much of the milder spring weather.  Of course, I start typing this post, and weeks go by, so we are now seasonably warm.  I'm just saying, we jumped thirty degrees in a week last month and it has mostly stayed there.  Anyway, before it becomes too hot all the time, we are spending some time outside with family.   

Here at home, life continues much as it has, but now with a little more knitting.  No, not the Hue Shift Afghan.  I haven't much felt like working on it, but knitting little things has appealed to me.  It started with things to put in some Easter eggs.  At first, I thought about knitting a different pattern for each of the kiddos' eggs, but knew that was not a good idea.  Instead, I chose Tina the Tiny T-Rex (still waiting patiently for Tori the Tiny Triceratops to make it over to Mochimochiland instead of just being available on Knitrino).   For a bit, it looked like we would have rain for Easter and we would not be able to attend, and I thought about knitting a dinosaur for everyone in the family.  I quickly recovered from the ill-conceived idea, and just knit at my own pace and let Bruce pick which ones he thought were best to put in eggs.  We were so very fortunate to have nice enough weather to celebrate Easter and Mother's Day outside with the family. 

Being out of practice checking up on knitblogs (yes, some are still active out there, and I think there should be more) I missed when a post on twitter by Anna Hrachovec showing a sunflower gif then yielded a pattern for us all.  Anyway, I caught up, donated and got to knitting.  These sunflowers are brightening things (we are in need of cheering, for sure) and the pattern is presented for free with a requested donation to groups helping Ukrainians--double yay!!  Since I'm not yet satisfied with my petals, (I kept ripping out and re-working, and that's not the answer) I believe I will be knitting more sunflowers.  

I hope that some good light is making its way to you and yours.     

Parting Shot

As has become something of a tradition, I knit something small with a magnet inside and left it somewhere on the son's refrigerator just before we parted.  The pattern choice was easy, as we couldn't have been together without the vaccine.  

It was quite an adventure, and maybe I'll bring some of the stories and pictures here to the blog.  Then again, I might just move on with whatever happens next, or more likely, wander away and neglect this place.  You know, same ol', same ol', eh?   

May the Bluebird of Crappiness Fly Up Your Nose

Sometimes, I'm just so angry.*  Angry at those who could have prevented so much death and loss and suffering.  Angry at those who could have enabled people to make safer choices by providing for us.  Angry at their lies.  Angry at the way they endanger others with their words and their actions.  Angry at the hate.  Angry at the breathtaking greed.   

Like many other people, early in life, I received some harmful messages about anger, and, well, there has been a lot of reinforcement of those messages over the years. So, yeah, it is still sometimes a difficult emotion for me.  It used to be much worse, I mean, it nearly killed me, but I have learned to do better with it, to allow myself to feel it, and to not stay stuck there when I do.  Sometimes I sit with it for a bit before I shift towards an action to help, or sometimes I need a little bit of silliness to shake it off, and that, combined with a little bit of stabbing, is something I've been doing lately.  

I'm knitting Bluebirds of Crappiness.  Buy this pattern, and the proceeds go to Chicago-area foodbanks.  So, yeah, there's a little bit of helping others, and that is always good.  Also, if you're missing knitting with others, knit along with Anna in a YouTube video she made.   

When I was a kid, sometimes my grandpa would sing "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" at random times.  Actually, he just sang that one line, and then whistled on in a way that explains the (lack of) musical genius that spreads through so much of the family tree.  Anyway, these are not Birds of Paradise, but Bluebirds of Crappiness, and the idea of them flying up some particular noses both connects with my anger while also helping me release it.  As a bonus, when I embellish them with needle-felting I get to stab over and over and over again, without harming others.

*So, yeah, I wrote this post a few months ago (I think?  Time is all messed up).  At that time, it was mostly about the coronavirus pandemic.  It's so much more now.            

Time to Line Up Some Ducks

So, I'm not doing too well with one of my New Year's Resolutions.  Specifically, the one in which I resolved to do better with keeping in touch.  In fact, I received multiple messages from folks who hadn't heard from me, doing a bit of a check-in to see how we're doing over here.  As it turns out, my thinking about you all often and talking to you in my head doesn't translate into anything other than me living too much in my head.  Yeah, that's not a recipe for what we need.  Oh, and bee-tee-dubs, I didn't really think you could pick up on what's in my head, I just got stuck in the thinking, and didn't move on to the doing.  It's a blessing to have people reaching out and checking in on one another, and I am grateful for it.  Well, it's time for me to get some of my ducks in a row, so here we go with much more of an update than anyone is probably seeking.    

We're, still here, still home, and still well.  Well, as well as what goes for well around here, but you know what I mean.  We look to be home for a long time--like a year or more kind of a long time.  We're trying to balance being realistic and prepared without dwelling on it.  Sometimes it feels less-than-awesome to think about it.  On the other hand, we are incredibly grateful that we can stay home except for going out for curbside pickup of groceries and supplies.  We know that not everyone gets to choose that.  

Now, we spent a lot of time at home before this, and in a lot of ways, our life has not changed too much.  Then again, it has changed a lot.  We miss being with friends and family in person.  We miss the convenience of restaurants.  We miss going inside the grocery, picking out our own produce, seeing new things, and making our own substitutions on the fly.  We miss just popping over there to grab two or three things we need or just want, instead of waiting for the two-week re-supply, making a $35 (or whatever the threshold is) minimum order, and scheduling a pick-up time.  We miss fast food.  We miss drive-thrus.  We miss having more frequent fresh produce.  We miss going inside any store.  We miss going somewhere in the car and not calculating if the adventure will be short enough not to require a restroom.       

We're getting tired of some things, too.  We're tired of the planning and thinking and preparing for possible/probable/likely shortages.  We're tired of what feels like the constant cooking-eating-washing dishes cycle.  We're tired of news that is is not new.  We're tired of planning meals.  We're tired of the smell of disinfectant.  We're tired of mystery shopping, pressing that "order" button, and still not being quite sure of what we will get.  We're tired of so many plastic bags.  We're tired of thinking about this, of planning for it.  We're tired of worrying.     

We've been sad and angry, too, about things big and small.  There has been so much loss, and there is so much more to come.  Who all have we seen and hugged for the last time?  What other lasts have passed?  We can't celebrate birthdays, holidays, achievements, or milestones together.  We cannot comfort and support in person, people going through trying times.  If it cannot be delivered or picked up curbside, we cannot get it.  We have a transnational crime syndicate masquerading as a government (I highly recommend this podcast).  We're missing out on seeing the young ones growing and changing, and the older among us are aging much more rapidly.  We're all getting a lot weirder, and it might be permanent.  People are dying.  People are losing so much.  The most vulnerable and marginalized are suffering much more, the structural inequalities show even more, it is easier for those in power to continue them, and harder for those who fight against them to do so.             

We are enjoying things, too, some old, some new.  We enjoy each other.  If I have to stay home for the foreseeable future, spending that time with my husband, who is my best friend, is pretty much the best.  We still put out food for the birds and squirrels and continue to enjoy watching them.  We're trying some new recipes, making little changes, and adding them to our repertoire.  While we didn't choose particularly well for "these extraordinary times" when we (not knowing all this was coming) bought a few packets of seeds this winter, some of what we planted has survived so far, and the time to do something with those seedlings has arrived, so that's some more new on the way.  Baking more is always good.  We're having desserts we normally only have on special occasions, and peach cobbler is still good, even with canned peaches.  We have so many television/movie choices to stream, and we have watched so much.  An evening of playing cards is a nice way to pass time, too.  We're helping others in whatever ways we can.  And, hey, guess what?  I even knit a bit, too, and that's pretty good. 

So, yeah, that's how we're doing.  We're doing better than some, not as well as others, but that's life, innit?  I know some of our choices differ from those of others, and there are many reasons for that.  We're doing our best to take care of ourselves and be considerate of others.  We hope you are finding that best balance for you and yours, too.                                  

Just A Little Horse

Hilarious, aren't I?  I'm sure staying at home for a couple of weeks will only improve my wit and wisdom.  Yeah, we're doing what seems like the best choice for us.  It also seems like that is the right thing for us to do for others, and it's always nice when those things are in agreement.  Still, there is so much we do not know and things are still changing, and, yeah, I don't have answers to that.  

I am finding it helpful to reach back into past experiences and use what I learned then.  For most of last year, we had a hospital bag packed and ready to go at a moment's notice, and then we spent the summer going in and out of the hospital.  I remember how I felt during those first several months--waiting for something to happen, worrying that something would happen, not fully sleeping so I could spring into action whenever whatever was going to happen would eventually happen.  The hospitalization phase was a bit different, though poor sleep (hospital sleep is not quality sleep) remained.  Find a problem, fix a problem, find more problems to be managed.  They're all very urgent and will kill, you learn.  Also, everything's a balancing act, and we'll have to wait and see.  More tests, more juggling of medicines, more realization that there is a lot of unknown we're dealing with.  It was similar to the CHF diagnosis time.  Anyway, we go back to the basics and do what we can with our abilities and resources.  We remember the lessons we learned then and apply that knowledge today.  

That's what we're doing here.  We're as prepared as we can be.  We try not to focus on what we cannot do or control.  We're texting, calling, and emailing each other.  We wave at the neighbors.  We watch a lot of television.  We're thinking about you all. I knit some (if the little horse isn't your favorite, maybe you'll like something else better).  I'm thinking about the new Animal Crossing game.  We play cards.  We pray.  Some things don't change much.   

Closing out the Month

I may not have achieved a 100% completion rate with NaBloPoMo, but I did alright.  Blogging more often was good, and it helped me get some things done.  I might even keep with it, though not on a daily basis.  

We finished our November by making a baby visit.  That's a pretty good way to end a month.  I even managed to get a picture of the little guy wearing the hat I knit for him.  Here's hoping you had a nifty November, and I look forward to connecting with you in December. 

Not Forgotten, but Perhaps Forgetful?

My birthday was last month.  I thought someone who I thought ought to have remembered had forgotten.  As it turns out, that was not the case.  You see, we here in our home are very old.  How old are we?  Well, we still have a landline in addition to the cell phone.  Anyway, my birthday text went to the landline.  Does that mean the person who sent a text to the landline instead of the cell phone is getting old?  I'll leave that to others to decide.  Anyway, several days after my birthday I got my birthday call, and during it, I was told to watch the mail for my present.  Woo-hoo! 
 
I received a couple of aprons and some glitter/holographic heat transfer vinyl.  That might not be very exciting to others, but it thrilled me.  I had also gotten some plain HTV from my brother.  After I opened that present, he asked me to tell him what he had just given me.  Anyway, today I got around to playing with it all, I really like the results, and I now have a newly decorated apron and shirt.  I have to wait a day before I can wear them, but my apron design choices are inspiring me to make some hot and sour soup tonight.  

    

Sweet Sunday, Mitt-vember Edition

Yes, this is posted on Monday.  I fell asleep.  I was sure I was going to return to the post and write more.  Then I forgot about it.  *shrug*   I'm sure the NaBloPoMoPoPo will get me for such an egregious move.  

My niece has her mittens!  I managed to get them to her this weekend as I had planned.  They are a little big for her, though not as big as they appear in this picture, and they should work for next winter, too.  My sister has Disney+ and has been watching Home Alone and now she is inspired to get mitten clips for the kids.  I much prefer that plan to the one where I knit eleventy feet of i-cord to attach to them.  They might never have gotten their mittens if I had made that part of the projects.  It feels good to have these done.   

  

Post-Parade Mitten Modeling

Some time ago, my nephew asked me if mittens were only for grown-ups.  He's so sweet.  It was a completely innocent question.  You know I had to knit some for him.  He requested light blue and dark blue with snowflakes.  I then proceeded to take forever to complete them.  He asked about them from time to time.  Finally, I finished and gave them to him on Monday, just before the weather turned cold.  I saw him tonight, and he showed me that he still has them and has been wearing them.  I consider that a success.  

My niece believes that I have already knit a pair for her.  I said that I wasn't sure if I ever finished them.  She started describing what she thinks they look like.  I told her that I thought they were different than that, and then gave a vague description of the pair I started the other day for her.  I might need to be faster with them.

eta:  it helps if I click the publish button, eh?   

Mitt-vember Strikes Back

There are mittens I am avoiding, and I'm going to try to make myself finish those, but that's not what we're talking about today.  Today, we get to see a pair of mittens I finally finished.  The knitting was done quite some time back, but still, they languished in a state of almost.  Colorwork pieces might look fine before their bath, but a nice soak really does wonders.  

Back in January of 2016, I was trying to choose colors and tweeted out a picture of two yarn colors.  A lot has happened since then, but now they're done, and I'm really pleased with them.  They're also so nice, that I feel like I'm just going to look at them and never wear them.  It seems a shame to let something that I put so much work into just sit there, but I also don't want them to get dirty or worn out either.  I'm sure I'll figure out something, but for now, I'll just admire my work.       

It Doesn't Repeat Itself, But it Kinda Rhymes

I get ideas.  It's probably for the best that some of my sparks of inspiration extinguish themselves as quickly as they ignite.  Occasionally, however, I see some of them through.  In this instance, I only saw part of it through, (although the other parts are more tangential, and certainly don't matter for the rest of this story) and past the deadline, of course.  

Last year, I purchased a pattern collection with some birthday money.  Not that I disliked the rest of the book, in fact, after flipping through, I can see myself knitting several of them, but I really only bought it for three of something like thirty patterns.  Anyway, at first glance, I thought one of the patterns resembled a scaled-down, miniaturized, simplified version of a sweater a friend had knit for herself.  There you are, millions of miles away through all of those tubes of the internet, and you see where this is going.  You know me a little bit, and you know if I see something like this, I will feel compelled to knit this for my friend.  

I cast on, and slowly, I made progress.  Why so slowly, you wonder?  Well, I quickly spotted a problem with the pattern, and I didn't want to have to fix it.  The closer I got to the error-riddled section, the more I slowed, and the less I worked on it.  I occasionally looked at the clearly wrong colorwork chart and tried to figure out how to fix it.  I thought I had an answer.  The chart is worked over twenty-four stitches for thirteen rows.  It looked as though it should have been worked from stitches thirteen through twenty-four and then one through twelve.  It made me tired just thinking about it.  To compound this, I ought to mention that for this section, you are working back-and-forth instead of in the round, so odd rows of the chart are read right-to-left and even rows left-to-right.  I think it is accurate to say that working this chart in this manner while trying to compensate for these errors is probably a greater burden than I should place on my will to live.  So, I copied the chart, cut it up the middle, and made the first half the new second half.  You know what?  Yep, it wasn't right, either.  At this point, I already had the chart copied, cut out, and cut in half, so I tried something else.  I made the first half of the chart the second half, but I rotated it 180 degrees, and it worked.  I don't know how they made the error that they did in putting together this pattern, but there you go.  

While I knew that I would not make my self-imposed deadline, I moved on with the knitting and thought of my friend.  When she knit her sweater, that pattern had many problems, too.  She worked through them, and the sweater looked great, but I'm pretty sure the pattern remains on her "Would Not Recommend" list.  I composed the note to accompany this many times in my head while I knit.  I shouldn't do that.  It so often paralyzes me as I try to find the right words, and by the time I to put pen to paper, my note has morphed into inky awkwardness, something I will feel embarrassed about whenever I think about it over the years.      

So, while it isn't exactly a miniaturized replica of the original, people-sized version of the sweater, it kinda rhymes.   

In a surprise move, I went ahead and mailed this off instead of waiting until the end of the year.  I know, shocker, eh?  Hey, I had to try to do something as right as I could this year.  Speaking of, how is your year thus far?