I spend a good portion of my day thinking about knitting. You know all those stats about how often guys think about sex? That's me and knitting.

Sometimes when I think about knitting, I wonder about my "level." I know I shouldn't care and just knit, but let's face it, that's not me. I like to know where I am. Generally speaking, I class myself as intermediate.

Don't go away because of all these words. I'm getting to the pictures. In the meantime, here is a picture of Pan with her tongue sticking out.



Cute, huh?

In addition to the beginner-intermediate-advanced categories, there are Knitty's categories, there to guide the knitter to the right project. Knitty labels its projects (and so, in my mind, its knitters) "mellow," "tangy," "piquant," and "extra spicy." I do often use this system as a guide when considering the projects on Knitty.



OK, so I mentioned a few posts ago that the lovely and mad Madam Mim had sent me some great yarn, among which was some blue cotton. I finally got around to taking a picture.




What you see is the beginning of my project with the yarn, as well as the balls I received. I decided to make Soleil because a) I could get gauge and b) I was excited to make something "piquant" (see it all ties in).

I worked about 6 rows (of 150 stitches) before I relaized my lace detail was all wrong. Have I misread the chart, thought I (I am a virgin in charts-another reason I decided on this project). I checked, nope, chart is fine.

I ripped ripped ripped (dying a little inside, generally speaking, I am not a ripper) and then swatched swatched swatched.

Here is what I discovered.

In my two or so years of knitting, I have been doing my yarn overs completely wrong.

But, Beth, you say, it's so simple. All you have to do is wrap the yarn as if you were knitting.

Then, I ask in response, why is it called a yarn over? I was going over the needle and so just making another stitch, with no hole in it at all. Apparently I need to 1) be less literal and 2) read directions more carefully.

I corrected my mistake and now have



Much better.

If you are paying close attention (and by this time, who is?), you might gasp in dismay (as I have done) as you realize my Knitting Olympics project is lace. I have 30 inches.




All that work you see above is incorrect. I would swear if I didn't know that my M.M. Mim reads my blog.

It looks OK, just not like the picture. Do I keep at it, or go home with my mishappen lace tail tucked between my legs?

Apparently I wasn't as spicy as I thought I was.