Curse of the optimist.

For a collection of reasons, there is no carpenter here today and the front of the house remains…er, absent.

Even though this is not anyone’s fault, the reasons are very sound and even though nothing at all can be done about it….I am sincerely annoyed. Mostly I am annoyed with myself, infuriated really, for believing that this whole reno was going to go off without a hitch.

Why would I think that? Why? When no renovation, improvement or even so much as a light bulb change has ever gone without a hitch in this house, why would I consistently sign up for this stuff and then be surprised when it’s got some trouble. Why?

Optimism. That’s why. I’m forever thinking that everything is totally going to work out. I’m starting to think that I’d have fewer crushing disappointments if I expected the worst. Last night, I lost my patience with the Erle baby sweater and set it aside.

Earle

This one won’t be off the radar for more than a few days, but I needed a fast success. Something that would be really satisfying really quickly. Quickly enough to feed my sense of optimism and make me feel like it’s possible for a project to be accomplished without a whole lot of trouble. I found just the thing. I’ve been looking at “Dibs on Ribs” (scroll down on that page) for a while, and I think the construction is really interesting and I’ve had my eye out for a good yarn to do it in.

While I was at Webs I found this, and thought it would be perfect.

(This, by the way is probably also related to This. Green yarn…Striping? Pretty sure.) I started last night.

You knit two panels of a really interesting shape for the left front and right front,

Sidegrenryn

Then sew them together in the front,

Frontgrenryn

then pick up and knit a triangle of decreasing ribbing into the void.

Saggrenyrn

Except it’s not supposed to suck like that. Clearly I must have missed a decrease or two in that section or it wouldn’t be sagging like somebody’s great grandmother caught without a bikini top.

Turns out that the idea of a quick fix satisfying sweater was a little bit optimistic. If you need me I’ll be sitting on a pile of lumber in my backyard, ripping out a sweater.