Got To Give It Up, Pt. Umpteen

I really should practice what I preach.

A., in one of my project classes, started a colourwork project. It was lovely, no question, but required - at the most complex section - 10 different colours going at the same time. Therefore 10 different balls of yarn.

She worked on in during the first class. Slowly, and uncertainly, but she did work on it.

The second class, when she arrived, I asked how the knitting was going.

Her face lit up with a giant grin... "I ripped it out!"

She hadn't been enjoying the knitting, and so she decided to cut her losses and abandon the project. Absolutely, completely the right thing to do. I complemented her on her decision, and indeed talked about sometimes the right thing to do is something else.

After all, we do this for pleasure, this knitting thing. Even when I'm working -- you know, earning money with it - it's for pleasure. (The day job still pays more.)

I knit for pleasure. I teach knitting for pleasure. I write about knitting for pleasure. I -- god forbid - chart insane sock patterns for pleasure.

So there's this lace project I've been working on for a while. Well, ok... to say I've been working on it is a bit of an overstatement. About once or twice a year, I pull it out of the back corner of my stash, look at it, work on it for a few rows, and then stop.

This yarn was going to be Lace Wings. (May 2007.)

Gave up on that when I decided that I didn't like the stitch pattern, and anyway, I wanted a rectangular shawl. (December 2007.)

And then it was going to be a North Sea Shawl. (May 2008.) Of course, I had to do some math because I didn't have enough yarn, so I altered it, and gamely cast on.

And I even made some progress on it. (October 2008.)

Last week, I pulled it out, took a good look, found about four hundred mistakes (well, ok, three, but pretty frustrating ones), and so I undid the entire thing and restarted it.


But in a moment of honesty, inspired by Angela's bravery, I decided that the real answer is to give up.

I hate this yarn. It's sticky and horrible. It's a poor man's Kidsilk Haze - very similar composition, very similar hand, very similar beautiful results. It's the most beautiful yarn in the world and I cannot abide working with it.

The only thing this yarn will ever be for me is a nightmare.

So -- anyone need about 700m of Mista Alpaca Lace in black? There's a full skein that's entirely unused, but it has been wound. The second skein, as pictured above, has been a bit used... I think about the first quarter might be a bit tatty -- it has, after all, been knitted and undone three times.

Would be willing to trade - all I want in return is a suggestion for a good laceweight yarn in black. (Well, ok, and maybe a coffee ;-) ).