What the heck is it about a knitting emergency that gets me so fired up? Lord knows I have a ton of stuff unfinished that I should be completing. I sort of wonder if it has something to do with being able to start something new, and get away with it.
So, I needed a shrug. A black shrug to wear with a dress for the bridal shower of the gorgeous daughter of my Darlin’ Cuz. And of course, nothing I saw in the stores would work. So what else could I do?
Well, off I went to check out my Ravelry queue, as I knew I had at least 2 or 3 shrugs in there I wanted to make. Here’s what I picked: the Dream In Color Shrug, by Kay Dahlquist. So cute.
Here’s my version, called Emergency Shrug (what else?)
What is it about having to rush that gives me such a rush?
I suppose, for me, anyway, it’s the excitement of “can I get it finished in time?” This is followed closely by the whole process of pulling the project together, starting with rummaging through my stash for the appropriate yarn, then getting the needles, printing out a fresh copy of the pattern and sliding it in to a new plastic sleeve, and finally placing the yarn, needles, pattern, and measuring tape into a brand spankin’ new gallon Ziploc bag (oh, what did we do before Ziploc bags? I buy ’em in bulk at Costco. They have a very specific life cycle here and are used over and over until they fall apart; if they aren’t being used to store food, they begin as knitting project bags, then yarn storage, then cosmetic/personal care items travel bags, then finally used litter removal bags. Love Ziplocs. Sorry, I get carried away when I talk about Ziplocs.).
And then I swatch. Yes, I like to swatch. I realized somewhere along the line that I alway have to swatch, so I might as well figure out some way to enjoy it.
Well, I started on the shrug and knit like crazy. 5 days of crazy. At home, waiting at carpool, on the plane, even out to lunch with my bestest gal Meg. I did make some adjustments to the pattern: I didn’t make the sleeves long enough to cuff (don’t need the extra bulk on my arms—who does?), I did one and a half less repeats of the pattern (you can’t tell) due to row gauge issues, and I did some short rows on the “collar” ribbing to make the side that goes around your neck and over your shoulders more shapely. I adore how it turned out. I used Cascade Venezia, and while I love the drape I got with the finished blocked piece, I really didn’t enjoy knitting with it. It was a multi-ply yarn and was so splitty, it was like knitting with embroidery floss. Believe me, not a good thing when you’re trying to knit lace. With so many fab yarns out there to choose from these days, I don’t think I’ll use this yarn again if I can help it.
And I even finished it on time. But I decided to wear something else to the shower. Sigh.
On the other hand, I’ll definitely get lots of use out of it. It gets cold here at night in the summer, so you don’t go anywhere in the evening without some kind of wrap. Fact I’ll probably make another.
And on the way home from Chicago, I started this: Camels in the Forest. Yes, it’s my third Forest Canopy Shawl, but I keep giving them away. I’d really like to have one of my own. And this Handmaiden Camelspin yarn. OMG. To die for. To DIE for.
In case you are wondering what happened to my Global Cables Jacket, I am rolling along on this delightful project. I’m using Cascade Eco for it, and I am loving the definition it’s giving to the cables. Plus, I was concerned it might be all stiff and scratchy. But my washed and blocked swatch shows that I’m in for a treat when this is all finished. The yarn relaxes into this lovely, squooshy fabric when blocked. I can’t wait to finish. The problem is, it’s just not a portable project any longer. Weighs a ton. Has been relegated to the “TV watching project” basket.
And I do have a few other little UFOs to finish up. I figured that I would try to work up that “rush status” state of mind for those other projects so I’ll get ’em done fast. That way I won’t feel guilty when I cast on the next project I’m itchin’ to do.
Well, have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Whatever you find yourself doing, though, just don’t rush. 😉 Enjoy!
Please don’t be shy; if you’d like, make a comment. I’d love to know what you think!

Lest you think I don't finish anything, here's Wendy Barnard's "Something Red" I finished last spring.