The Yarn Along...NOT

Contrary Mary here today. Well, a hopeful Contrary Mary, how's that for contrary?

I am joining Ginny, for the first time in quite a while, for a yarn along, of sorts. How about a hopeful Yarn Along?

I have a need, a deep, deep psychological need for a good knitting project. I need ordered stitches. Soft, beautiful yarn and ordered, ordered, ordered stitches. Did you get that "ordered" part? Yeah, deep psychological need stuff.

Three days ago, after that big fight at the dinner table, I ordered yarn to knit a Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan  (deep psychological need for order).

This cardigan (pictured above) I knit, well, I forgot to add a date to my Ravelry page, but it think it was two years ago. Ok, I looked it up in the archives and it was November 2011. I don't have an "after" picture because I think the sweater got left at a friend's house yesterday, but it's a real wreck, I promise. I knit it in a Knitpicks' worsted wool, and it has not only shrunk (of course my daughter grew, as well) but the yarn looks absolutely awful -- fluffy and frayed. It has been well-worn and is well-loved, I can't even get rid of it (even though it needs to go) because she still loves it. This sweater was a pleasure to knit, so I'm starting a new one. The stitches line up oh-so-beautifully (deep psychological need for ordered stitches).

But that yarn I was waiting on, ordered in a deep psychologically needy moment, I just found out it's out of stock/discontinued (thanks for telling me when I ordered it, WEBS).

I was hopeful the yarn I searched and searched for and finally found (a pretty heathered pastel and lemon cotton) would be a lot more wearable than the Knitpicks Swish Worsted I used last time. Faith wears this sweater outdoors, and she is an active girl, so it ends up with bits of tree leaves and grass, and some creek dirt in it. It needs to be about as durable as a washcloth, but preferably a little prettier. I really would love to knit this sweater in the yarn it was intended for...Madelinetosh vintage, but that's an $85 sweater.  I can't justify that for anything, especially not a creekin', bike-riding wild thing. So, after looking and looking and deciding not to knit a large dishcloth sweater, I am back to Knitpicks, but this time with the Shine worsted cotton with beech wood fiber. Faith wants the colorway "pea pod" (which I fear will not be nearly as soft on the eyes as a color I would have chosen), and I ordered a ball of crocus to add a dash of extra color to the ends of the sleeves and the bottom band. Maybe. We'll see.

So this is my big not Yarn Along for the day. My yarn is ordered, and patience is required for the time being.

I haven't been reading terribly much, so I can't even tell you what great story I have going. But, I did just finish listening to a very interesting (if not downright depressing) novel -- Gardens of Water. It is the story of a Muslim Kurdish family, recovering from a devastating earthquake, and dealing with cultural influences which are contrary to their faith. Actually, it was very timely listening for me, because the story is ultimately the struggle between the parents' fight for their child's soul in a culture that strongly pressures the youth to fight the boundaries of their parents' faith and culture. Sound familiar?

If you need a new read, or are scouring project pages for new yarn (raising hand), please go join Ginny and see what other bloggers are satisfying a deep psychological need for ordered stitches. {wink}