the blue blog archives: my big fat obnoxious project

I've been frustrated in my six or seven attempts to get the pooling started with the Schaefer Anne yarn. In additon to this major sticking point, the gauge is not so enticing, the lace isn't wowing me and the thing is supposed to be about a mile long! These are the reasons that the pooling scarf has become my big fat obnoxious project. I'm saying it here in case any other knitalongers were holding back expressing their lack of faith or genuine hatred of this project. You're not alone!

Although I love the colors of the Anne yarn, even deciding to use it in a different pattern doesn't solve the gauge and length issues. I want something thicker, warmer, shorter. Enter Morehouse Merino's mini-muffler pattern. Very simple rib pattern, short scarf just enough to keep the neck warm, and that wonderfully soft merino yarn. The variegated skein that I bought at Rhinebeck is in similar colors as the Anne yarn I bought for the pooling scarf. This will be a nice replacement for that project. Much more do-able (I've got an accessory a week plan here!) and wearable for me.

So how are the rest of you all doing out there? I see that Karen is having great success! And Kate has shared her progress in an admirable attempt to motivate us slackers in the knitalong to get started again. I'm so proud of you girls for getting this to work!!

I, however, will have to hop out of the pool for now. But not without a small reward. Here at potty-training 3-year-olds central, we like to reward all good faith attempts. Pee-pee in the potty gets you one big gummybear letter and a good try will get you one little gummybear. So one little gummybear for me. Also in line for a small gummybear for effort are Jackie and Theresa.

Hey, those of you not trying to make the pooling scarf, what's your big fat obnoxious project?

posted by alison at 8:46 am | in accessorize me

Comments

my Big Fat Obnoxious Project: A hideous black mohair/acrylic (more acrylic than mohiar) shawl. I am coming to terms with the fact that I will never finish it and that is ok.

I'm excited to see pop come together. It's going to be really cute.

Posted by: Carrie at October 21, 2004 9:00 AM

Do I even dare to ask what a #2 in the potty gets you?

Big fat obnoxious project? The nagging AbFab kit. I can't get past the mohair. It made me promise never, ever to touch the stuff again (of course last weekend...Kidsilk Haze...mmmm)

Posted by: Jennifer at October 21, 2004 9:02 AM

Sorry you are having such bad luck with the pooling scarf. The yarn would make a great pair of socks... Oh- I'm going to be in boston and going to A Good Yarn. I read your review on about.com, anything in the shop that is a "can't miss"? You can join us on our yarn crawl if you want, it is Friday Nov. 5th, check out the blog for more details, the more the merrier!!

Posted by: Kate at October 21, 2004 9:21 AM

My big fat obnoxious project isn't even started yet...and I am already dreading it. A large throw made out of Grand River Yarns boucle.....guh.

Posted by: Dani at October 21, 2004 9:28 AM

1) Good move - stop the aggravation w/the pooling scarf as potty-training is rough enough (I'm doing it with only 1 at the moment and I want to toss in the towel).

2) Speaking of Morehouse, did you start the adorable mittens for your boys yet (I saw the ad for them in a knitting magazine and plan on buying the kit myself but would love to see your knitted up version first)?

Posted by: Leslie at October 21, 2004 9:47 AM

I think I'm maybe entitled to the little gummy bear head. After all, I haven't given the pooling colors a fair chance and I basically dropped it for several other projects. I think I will try again just to say I did.

Posted by: Jackie at October 21, 2004 9:55 AM

My BFOP has to be that stupid DNA scarf that I can't bring myself to even cast on for after mucking up the cable swatch so many freakin' times. I am soooo not excited about it that I think I'm just going to drop it from my lineup.

I have another one, sort of. Poncho parts, knit on huge needles out of ribbon yarn. I can't seem to get to blocking/seaming it because I'm pretty convinced that it will never, ever hang right.

Posted by: chris at October 21, 2004 9:57 AM

This is so much fun hearing about everyone's big fat obnoxious projects! Isn't it good to take a minute to laugh about them? Keep 'em coming.

Nope, Jackie, one whole little gummybear for you. Total positive reinforcement here! Jennifer, #2 gets you a cookie - we've only had to come through on that one once so far. But heck, if anyone makes two pooling scarves.... ;0)

Leslie, the bear paws mittens are to be my accessory for next week. I've already wound the yarn, so they're ready to go!

Posted by: alison at October 21, 2004 10:07 AM

My BFOP would either be my 2/3 complete crocheted baby blanket (and uh, my baby is 1 now) or figuring out something to do with *my* Schaefer Anne. I quickly realized that I can't do lace patterns if I have to suddenly drop my knitting to race over to keep my daughter from trying to crawl into the fireplace, up the stairs, etc (i.e. I keep losing my place). Going to try a simple stockinette scarf with garter edging from Interweave Staff Scarves.

Have you tried a couple of Cheerios in the potty for aiming practice? My son liked that. We used M&Ms for rewards. It'll happen, don't worry!

Posted by: Katie at October 21, 2004 10:21 AM

not really obnoxious, but big and fat! I'm making a sweater for my boyfriend and decided to do garter stitch sleeves to match the shoulders....I forgot that garter stitch takes FOREVER! Why are his arms so long?! Why is his body so long? Men! Just hats for him from now on!

Oh, thanks for the Morehouse link, they have some cute buttons.

Posted by: Cathy at October 21, 2004 10:37 AM

The Homespun (acrylic) afghan for my mom is probably my Obnoxious project of the moment. I cast on 200 stitches, and have worked up a few inches, but it's doomed to be frogged. I'm just not thrilled by the pattern I started with.

I'm hoping that I will be able to restart & finish it on my knitting machine.

Posted by: Natalie at October 21, 2004 10:40 AM

Can I select a gummy bear of a different color? ;-)

Seriously, I think I just have Anne that doesn't pool that well. It's going to become a scarf of some kind, probably just not one that requires so much effort to get started.

But now you've gotten me thinking about Morhouse Merino... sigh. Their lace weight makes absolutely wonderful scarves! If only I hadn't left the project I started at my parents house.

Posted by: Theresa at October 21, 2004 10:49 AM

That scarf pattern tempted me, but I decided that it exceeded my personal project frustration limit.

Anne does indeed make fabulous socks. In fact, you can often get two pairs of socks from a single hank of Anne. Several pairs of Anne socks that I've knit developed a great spiral, too. Of course, the socks I'm knitting for me aren't spiraling - ain't that just the way it goes?

My big obnoxious project is actually on an extended hiatus right now. It's the Door County Cable

http://www.chrisbylsmadesigns.com/imgs/photos/door%20county%20dark.jpg

and things were going swimmingly until I had to split for the armholes. Now that I'm going back and forth and doing the v-neck, the directions are confusing the heck out of me. So of course I'm ignoring this project and working on other things...

Posted by: Chris at October 21, 2004 11:02 AM

Curiously enough, MBFOP is a Morehouse Merino project! It's a laceweight camisole. Sadly, the slightly itch and the weight of the yarn have me stopped at winding the yarn. Also, the thought of a wool camisole in the summer...

Posted by: Gina at October 21, 2004 12:13 PM

My big fat obnoxious project is a v-neck sweater I started for myself a year ago, then abandoned. I picked it up again a week ago, made what I thought was good progress for a couple of days, then realized the distance from armhole to shoulder was about 5 inches too long. Jeez. Um, too much tv while knitting, perhaps?

Alison, thanks for mentioning Morehouse Farm. I didn't go to Rhinebeck and hadn't heard of them before, but now it just might be my favorite online yarn shop. I'll be making two of these for my nephews for Christmas:
http://www.morehousefarm.com/KnittingKits/Scarves/Snake/

Too cute!

Posted by: sara at October 21, 2004 12:18 PM

My BFOP is Birch. I started it about three months ago and I just finished row 5 last night. :( And I had an extra stitch. Oh man.

Posted by: Jessica at October 21, 2004 12:25 PM

I just can't seem to pick up my pooling scarf and work on it. It's about 3 feet long at this point, and is gorgeous. I know the finished result will make the torture of knitting it all worthwhile, but I am using horrible, cheap, too-long metal needles. I'm not paying so much attention to the color changes as I probably should be, so my colors do bleed into one another. But the artist in me really appreciates the watercolor-like effect.

I DEFINITELY feel you on the potty training. My 3 year old daughter was doing SO well with the help of a potty chart. I let her pick out the stickers and colors for the chart and at the end of the first 7 accident free days, she got to pick out a toy at the store(playdoh farm). At the end of 3 weeks accident free, she chose a slightly more expensive toy(belle from beauty and the beast). We quit using the chart when she seemed to have the hang of it, but she's been regressing a little. So it's time to hang the chart back up.

Posted by: Peggy at October 21, 2004 2:31 PM

It took me a minute to realize that I just finished my BFOP: a pair of socks I had promised to someone earlier this year and started in July - I finished them this past weekend during a marathon Food Network tv-watching session. well, almost - I'm going to kitchener the toe shortly. Her feet are sooo much bigger than mine! Never fear, I'm sure there will be another BFOP shortly!

Posted by: Donna at October 21, 2004 2:56 PM

Hey there! I've been meaning to comment for a while because we have a few things in common, as knitting moms of twin toddlers living in Mass.! :) I live "out west" though, grin. I've enjoyed reading your blog and I'm impressed with how much you are able to do, given that I know what it is to live with two wildebeests--I mean toddlers! Perhaps yours are not so wilde. Anyhoo, you inspired me to make Klaralund and I hold you partially responsible for my new Noro addiction.

My BFOP is a soy silk shawl requested by my mother. She bought the fiber for it, so I feel particularly beholden to spin and knit it. And soy silk is not super-fun to spin, and I have doubts about how the pattern she wants me to make will perform with soy silk. Deadline was Xmas but that is Not Going to Happen. I'm sort of in denial about it, but that's standard for BFOPs, right? Her birthday is in March. Maaaaybe... Or maybe I'll pay her back for the fiber! Sigh.

Anyway, a shout-out from another mom who tries to knit in between chasing twins...

Posted by: mamacate at October 21, 2004 3:08 PM

I've given up too. I love the yarn, but this scarf just isnt worth the headache. Instead, I'll be knitting the chevron scarf from this awesome book: Last-minute Knitted Gifts

Posted by: kelly at October 21, 2004 3:59 PM

Ibenholt. Size issues, yarn issues, attention span issues. Who knew one knitter could have so many issues???

Posted by: Kerstin at October 21, 2004 4:01 PM

Hey Alison - love your blog and the pop sweater is making me green w/ envy! My BFOP is this aran cardie my mom started, threw in a box and sent to me. huge skeins of ivory acrylic- dinner plate diameter skeins from the craft store; 15 inch size 10 needles. Verbose pattern:'put next two stitches on cable needls and hold at back of work, knit next two stitches, knit stitches from cable needle' argh! and a glaring error in the pattern for the front pieces that is obviously not what is shown in the picture. it's marinating and has been since February.
but...I made mom look at it two weeks ago and she told me how she fixed it 20 years ago so I'll work on it on our road trip. Gummy foot maybe?

Posted by: gaile at October 21, 2004 4:11 PM

Wellllll, my obnoxious project is going swimmingly, but is taking FOREVER. I will never make a long sleeved, cabled and ribbed sweater out of mercerized cotton again. Mercy! I have 1 1/2 sleeves to go.

The other BFOP hasn't been started yet. I don't even have the yarn. My brother-in-law that lives in Italy wants a satchel bag, but won't give me specifics. He says he'll be happy with anything. I'm assuming I should felt it, for strength's sake, but making up one more felted project pattern is NOT something I'm looking forward to. (He wants the Italian flag on it somewhere, and I feel an obligation to keep it masculine.) Oh, the joys.

Posted by: LauraA at October 21, 2004 6:42 PM

Well, the scarf is more of a long skinny obnoxious project, really. But I have a BFOP too, don't worry... a Rowan Denim gansey for my husband. He's a big guy. Only the front to go, but the back took _forever_.

The scarf never seems to get longer... must be unknitting itself at night. I feel like Penelope, always knitting, never done...

Posted by: Karen at October 21, 2004 10:06 PM

Great BFOPs everyone! I've had a blast reading about them all. Best of luck with them. I hope you do better than me at completing them. :)

Posted by: alison at October 22, 2004 11:37 AM

I am not officially in the pool along, but did one last week with yarn from Blackberry Ridge. I don't know how it compares to the Anne, but it worked well. Things dodn't stack up perfectly, but pretty well, as long as I tried to not make it perfect. I don't quite know how I did it though. I paid no atention to gauge, only following the lace pattern from Interweave, and paid no attention to length, knitting to the end of the ball of yarn. If I had cast on as many stitches as the pattern says, I would have been way off, so I started to cast on from a turning point and put a bunch of extra stitches on a set of circulars. Then I just knit to the next turing point, trying not to mess with tension. And it just worked. So I have plans for more scarves like it with yarn from Blackberry Ridge. Sorry it is being a pain for some knitters - it really produces a lovely scarf and makes the colors stand out and hold their own.

Posted by: Anne at October 23, 2004 12:37 PM