Sew I See!

Day 29:  Do you have any tips, or things that you've learned from knitting? Hm. Not much comes to mind other than something very broad and basic and platitudinous.  (g)  Don't be afraid to try something new-- to just jump in and do it.  It's probably not as hard as you think, and if it is, what's the worst that can happen?  Also-- if you make a mistake in your knitting, you can always rip it out and start over.  It may be frustrating, but if you're committed, you'll get where you're headed, eventually. Oh, and lifelines are worth the effort.

Day 28:  Do you do any other crafts besides knitting?  What are they, and did learning to knit come before or after learning these other crafts? Oh, yes, I've been interested in several crafts before I learned to knit (which is my most recently picked-up crafty hobby). I've been crocheting a while (see an earlier entry in this meme for the complicated answer to "how long?" (g)), and before that, I used flat and circular knitting looms.  I've still held onto the knitting looms in case they come in handy sometime down the road, but I don't see myself using them again.  It's much easier and more interesting to crochet or knit traditionally, now that I know how. In addition to the yarn-based crafts, I've done some (non-precious materials) jewelry-making, rag quilting , scrapbooking (which I guess counts as a craft...), and sewing with felt ...  And I've spent a lot of time crafting with polymer clay , too.  I mean to get back into polymer clay,...

Day 27:  How do you acquire most of your yarn?  Online retailers, local yarn shops, swaps, or large chain craft stores?  What's your favorite? I try not to spend too, too much on my crafty hobbies.  I still end up spending money on them, of course-- and that's ok-- but I want to keep it as low as possible without taking all the joy out of it.  (g) So, that said, I try to acquire most of my yarn (and thread) cheaply.  That means I shop more at large chain craft stores (when they have good sales, when I have a coupon, or when I find their yarn on clearance) than anywhere else. I also love to buy yarn at thrift stores and the occasional yard sale, but of course stock at either place is unpredictable (and sometimes things are over-priced).  My mother has given me yarn she's found at thrift stores, from time to time-- which is always a nice surprise.  :o)  (I ought to go thrifting/yard-saling more often.  I enjoy looking and almost alw...

Day 26:  Have you ever been a part-- or wanted to be a part-- of a knit-along (KAL)?  What was it?  If not, why? I may have considered joining a CAL (crochet-along) once or twice, but I don't recall the particulars-- and in the end, I decided not to or just forgot about it.  I like the idea of a KAL or CAL, but so far I just haven't felt compelled to join one.  This is partly because I usually already have projects going and don't want to set them aside in order to start something new.  Also, I'm not sure I'd like feeling the pressure to keep up with the group/meet the deadline. I don't know... I guess I ought to try one, sometime.  If I do, it will probably be a CAL instead of a KAL, because my knitting pace is pretty slow.  With a CAL, I know I could keep up with everyone else, but I'm afraid I'd end up feeling left behind with a KAL.  On the other hand, maybe attempting to keep up with the group would be just the kick in the pants I ne...

Day 25:  Do you have a knitting book or place where you keep patterns, ideas, size measurements?  Post a picture of it! Most of my notes and ideas are kept online-- either in this blog or on Ravelry.  (My Ravelry ID is MossyOwls , by the way.)  I'm not big on taking and keeping measurements, because I rarely make anything where the fit is crucial.  (Though I have sometimes wished I knew the hand/head measurements of family members, when I've been making hats or mitts for them.) As for patterns, yes, I do have a few notebooks full of patterns I've printed from the Internet, free pattern sheets from craft stores, patterns printed on the inside of yarn labels, etc.  Those notebooks aren't much to look at, really... Here are a few photos of the 3-ring binders.  There are a couple more paper folders (the type with the three prongs for holding loose-leaf paper), but they're even less interesting-looking.  I also keep a lot of patter...

Day 24:  Have you ever made your own pattern or dyed your own yarn?  How did it turn out? I've "kind of" done both, I guess. The pattern was a crochet pattern.  (I'm nowhere near advanced enough in knitting to make my own pattern for that craft.  Unless knitting a square in garter stitch with no specific directions counts as making a pattern.  In that case, my very first project was "my own pattern"! (g)) The only time I did more than just modify a pattern (or complete wing it without writing anything down) was when I (fairly recently) tried to come up with my own motif.  The resultant pattern ( Prairie Star Motif ) is nothing special. I'm sure it's been done before, but I did come up with it on my own.  It was fun to try-- and I'd like to give it another try, sometime-- but I don't think I'm a natural pattern designer.  I enjoy just following patterns more than worrying over how to make one of my own, even though I love the idea o...

Day 23:  If you had the supplies (and patience) for it, what project would you start today?   If I had the supplies, the patience, and the skill-- and if I didn't already have too many WIPs...  I'm not sure.  I have a ridiculous queue on Ravelry -- but most of those are patterns I probably won't ever make.  Lots of them are very similar to one another, for one thing, and I only plan to use one those similar patterns (once I decide which I like most/best fits with my skill level or stashed yarn).  I use my Ravelry queue more as a bookmark list of patterns I might want to make than as a "to do" list of patterns I definitely plan to knit or crochet.  Right now, if I didn't already have too many projects going, I'd probably sit down on the couch, thumb through my collection of crochet motif books, choose one (or more) that struck my fancy, and start a new afghan.  I just really love crocheting motif-based afghans, and the planning/daydreamin...

Day 22:  Have you ever stricken someone off your to-knit-for list because they didn't appreciate / take care of your last knitted gift to them? No; most people have at least pretended to appreciate the things I've made for them. (g)  I do sometimes wonder if anyone wishes I would take them off my to-craft-for list... ;o) As far as someone not taking care of the my handmade gifts, I don't think I've given anything that needed very special care-- partly for that reason.  Some people on my list might not appreciate being given something that needs to be handled with kid gloves, and others might have a hard time remembering (since there's no built-in tag with washing instructions). However, that's not to say that I don't ever give something that needs hand-washing, etc... I think the fingerless gloves I gave to my mother and sisters last Christmas were made of yarn that suggests laying flat to dry.  I believe I included a written note to mention that. ...

Day 21:  Do you knit gifts for friends and family for the holidays or birthdays? I haven't been knitting long, but yes, I do knit and (more often) crochet for family for holidays and birthdays (and the occasional "thank you", etc. sort of gift).  It started way back with the knitting loom and those fuzzy novelty yarn scarves.  (g)  I like to think that the gifts I make now are nicer than those scarves were... I feel a little self-conscious when giving people handmade gifts-- like I'm obligating them to express appreciation (true for any gift, really) and possibly bombarding them with "stuff" they won't even like or use (again, could be true for any gift, but at least many store-bought gifts are exchangeable...)-- but I try not to worry about it too much.   I will say this, though:  Any family member who may read this, please, please don't feel obligated to keep or use something I've given you.  If it's just taking up room, please feel fr...

Day 20:  Do you knit in public?  Was anyone offended / incredibly happy / curious that you were doing so? I have only knitted or crocheted in public a few times.  Or, actually, I guess I've done it more than that if you count sitting in a car in a parking lot (while waiting for my husband to come back out to the car).  Once while I did that, I had the windows rolled down, and a woman who parked next to me commented on the doily (favorably) and asked if it was very hard to crochet lace.  :o)  (I answered that it wasn't really that difficult, but it was time-consuming.  Possibly I should have added that it can require patience, because soon afterwards, I found a mistake and had to rip back and re-do!) Apart from that, I can only recall knitting and crocheting in public twice-- once per craft-- at family get-togethers.  Both times, someone commented on it-- favorably / curiously ("What are you making?"). I can't imagine anyone-- especially in my...

Day 19:  Do you watch movies and/or listen to podcasts while knitting?  What are your favorite things to knit to? I knit and crochet to a variety of things-- movies (at home-- I do need light to see what I'm doing, unlike some people), TV programs, DVDs of favorite costume dramas, talk radio, music, or audio books.  Rarely do I knit with nothing going in the background.  I can do it, but I like having something to listen to. I've listened to a knitting podcast twice (well, one was a podcast and the other was a "videocast", or whatever they're called).  I like the idea of podcasts, but I'm simply not in the routine of loading and listening to them... Also, the first one I listened to was only just "ok".  Mostly it was just two women chit-chatting about what they had been knitting.  (g)  --Which is fine, but maybe not the most interesting thing to listen to for an hour.  My second try turned out to be much the same thing-- only in this c...

Day 18:  Do you knit English or Continental? Knitting: Continental.  I chose to learn that method because I already knew how to crochet, so I was comfortable holding the yarn in my left hand.  I don't think I'm a very fast knitter, so I'm sure my technique could be improved.  I haven't spent a lot of time purling, so far, but when I do purl I think I'm using the plain old Continental method for purling-- but I've watched a few videos about "combined" knitting, and if I had to purl a ton, I might give that a try.  (So far, purling hasn't seemed that bad to me-- but that might change if I end up needing to purl long, uninterrupted rows.) Crochet: The crochet version of this question would probably be something about whether you hold your crochet hook like a pencil or a knife. I am definitely a knife-style crocheter.  It never occurred to me to hold the hook any other way, and when I try to hold it like a pencil, now, it just feels wrong ...

Day 17:  Have you ever had a project that you loved become ruined?  What's the story behind it? I can't think of anything like that... Maybe I've just been lucky, but also I'm pretty careful with things.  It's possible that something I've made for and given to someone else has been ruined (aside from dish scrubbers, which are meant to be used roughly and will eventually wear out and need to be thrown away)-- but not that I know of. In any case, I'm sure I'd be upset if a favorite project was ruined, but I try to look at it as an "experience hobby" as much as an "object hobby".  I enjoy the process of knitting and crocheting.  If not, it certainly wouldn't be worth my time and trouble to knit and crochet-- especially when you consider that, often, you can buy a similar (though rarely identical) blanket, scarf, or whatever else cheaper than you can make it yourself.  (If you count your time as money, the "cost" of ea...

Day 16:  Have you ever had a knitting-related injury? Knitting: No, not really .  Nothing like sitting on a knitting needle... or stabbing myself in the neck, like that woman in The Happening .  ;o) The second worst that's happened to me so far is that my hand can get a little tired if I knit too long. The worst worst is that I've "broken" the skin on the right side of the pad of my right pointer finger.  Not broken in the way that there was blood. ~shudder~  More like it started out as a little crack in the surface of the skin and has now turned into a small, dry, peeling area on the fingertip. This all happened because I'm a "pusher"-- meaning that I tend to push that finger against the point of the left needle, repeatedly, during knitting, pushing the needle back so that the next few stitches are within knitting distance.  I didn't notice I was doing it until the tip of my right pointer finger got a bit sore after a certain number of pus...

Day 15:  What was your least favorite pattern and why? ...Well, if I don't like the looks of a pattern, I'm not likely to try to crochet or knit it, so I'll assume this refers to a pattern being too difficult (for me at the time I tried to make it) or poorly written and not to how something looks.   But even with that distinction, I have a hard time thinking of what to say... If you go back to Day 7 (regarding least favorite projects), that should give you as good an answer as anything I could come up with today. One other thing comes to mind-- amigurumi in general.  I like parts of making amigurumi, but I'm not crazy about crocheting lots of tight sc, which is exactly what most amigurumi calls for, and neither do I particularly enjoy attaching all the arms, legs, and assorted other pieces to the body.  Then there's the face to embroider... And yet I still feel the occasional urge to make a little stuffed animal-- so I do. I've gotten a little better with ...

Day 14:  What's the worst yarn / fiber that you've worked with and why? Hm... The worst I can recall is probably the stuff I tried to teach myself to knit with the first time around-- the time that it didn't stick.  Yeah, that was a brilliant plan.  I know very well what I was thinking at the time:  Start with the yucky stuff, that way you aren't wasting anything nice on what is sure to be your ugly first attempts at knitting.  But Michael, dear, there's a big difference between not wasting your nicest yarn and struggling with the ickiest stuff on planet Earth! ;o) That yarn was stiff and scratchy and just gross .  And trust me, if I say it was bad, it was .  I'm not finicky about most acrylic yarn, so it means something if it's so bad that I don't like it.  ;o)  (...And yet I did eventually use the stuff. (g) Couldn't bear to let it go to waste, so I crocheted a few pot scrubbers from it.  The burnt-on food on those pots never knew...

Day 13:  Do you have yarn that you love but can't find a project for?   Yes, I've had that problem-- mostly with variegated yarn.  It looks so pretty in the skein, but I often find it ugly worked up in crochet or knitting (but especially crochet), unless it's just the right sort of pattern. I had trouble finding a use for my lovely Mosaic Twist yarn, until I saw how beautiful the Chickadee Cowl pattern looked in a number of variegated yarns. That pattern taught me to love the linen stitch for making harmony among a number of colors.  One of these days, I'm going to make a linen stitch scarf with odds and ends of leftover yarn.  (There are several patterns on Ravelry; search for "linen stitch scarf".) I may also use a linen stitch-based pattern for some other variegated yarn I've had for several years-- Yarn Bee Soft Delight Pomp in the Ladybug colorway.  (I may need to make another cable so I'll have one long enough to make a scarf le...

Day 12:  Where do you keep your stash?  Post pictures! These days, I keep all my stash of yarn, needles/hooks, and craft books in my craft room-- well, apart from the ones I'm currently using or keeping out as coffee table books. (The craft room was originally a spare bedroom that I gradually claimed as my own, because we so very rarely have overnight guests... but now I share it with my husband when he's doing something crafty.) Sometime during the past few years, my yarn stash kind of ballooned from not that much to, well, quite a bit.  Almost all of it was bought on sale/clearance, with coupons, at thrift stores, etc.-- or given to me-- but still, it's a lot of yarn (and thread). I keep the worsted weight acrylic in some plastic "not really milk crates" (and in a basket). Most of the sport weight acrylic (which I have much less of) resides in another basket (next to a basket of cotton and wool yarns). The unopened cotton thread takes up the ...

Project Updates: -- No progress to report on the "Gypsying" (African Flower/Paperweight Granny motif) afghan. -- No progress to report on the novelty yarn stash-buster afghan. -- No progress to report on the two long-term secret projects. What I have been working on is Multnomah, but good grief!  For what looks like such a simple project, I've had a fair bit of trouble making this thing. I finally got to the point where I was ready to do the "lace set-up" rows.  Thank goodness I had the forethought to put in a lifeline at the end of the garter stitch section, because (sure enough) I dropped a stitch (or two) in the fourth row, couldn't figure out how to fix it/tried and failed to fix it/went into freak-out mode... and ended up ripping it back to the lifeline.  Of course, the second time through, I would make a mistake and have to tink back almost half a row to fix it.  (Ugh. I am so sick of ripping and tinking in this project.   I want to make ...

Day 11:  Do you have a "Knitter Hero" or someone that is just way too awesome for their own good? Honestly, I'm not much of a hero-worshiper.  Maybe I'm just too mean jealous horrible independent for that sort of thing... ;o) Anyway, I do enjoy looking at the beautiful work of fellow knitters and crocheters, I admire their skill (though, admittedly, I only rarely take the extra step of commenting on projects or blog entries to tell them so), and often I am inspired to try a pattern because I've seen someone else use it with wonderful results-- but do I consider anyone specific to be a sort of "hero"?  No, not really.

Day 10:  Do you have a favorite pattern or designer? I haven't been knitting long enough (or enough different patterns) to have a favorite designer, and for the most part, I haven't noticed myself returning repeatedly to the same crochet designers, either, though I'm sure there are some designers whose aesthetics mesh especially well with my own. One exception is Patricia Kristoffersen , to whom I do frequently turn for patterns.  She's primarily a crochet doily designer.  Many of her designs incorporate special stitches that give her doilies a highly textural element.  (Some people call them "crusty" doilies.  (g) I prefer to say that they have raised stitchwork.) As for a favorite pattern... That's generally whatever I happen to be working on at the moment, if it's going well; if it's going badly, of course, it might be my least favorite pattern ever.  ;o) I do find myself strongly drawn to certain patterns, of course, but I don't th...

Day 9: What fiber or yarn do you love working with? I'm not especially picky about yarn.  I love working with most of it.  Most of what I crochet with is acrylic.  It's affordable, is readily available (sometimes in thrift stores, too), is durable and easy to care for, and comes in a wide array of colors.  It's ideal for afghans, toys, or anything else that's going to take a lot of wear and tear-- and possibly need frequent washing.  Also, afghans take a lot of yarn, so it needs to be relatively cheap. I also crochet with a lot of mercerized cotton-- mostly for doilies.  I like some brands better than others (South Maid being my current least favorite), but again, I'm not that particular about it.  I've crocheted with sport and worsted weight cotton a bit, but while I like cotton for some things, it tires my hands faster than nice acrylics or natural fibers with some "give".  Thick cotton is just so rigid and unyielding!  (Funny that...

Day 8:  What's your most challenging project? Knitting: That I've ever done, or that I'm currently working on?  They must mean "most challenging ever"... I guess it would probably be the same that I said made me most proud-- the Celtic Cables Neckwarmer -- though I've had a little trouble with my current knitting project, too.  That would be Multnomah , which I've had to rip out and restart.  It's kind of funny that I had problems with the easy part of Multnomah.  I hope it's not a sign of things to come in the lace section...  Crochet: My most challenging crochet project must be one of the doilies I've made-- but I have no idea which one.  I've definitely done my share of catching mistakes and ripping back row upon row of thread.  I've also not spotted errors until I was completely finished with a project.  (At that point, I'll usually just say, "Meh, whatever" and leave the mistake where it is.) Thread can ke...

So.  I've changed my mind about a project that was formerly secret.  It's not secret anymore.  (I'll be starting a different secret project, sometime, to replace it.) This no-longer hush-hush project is another crochet afghan.  I'm calling it " A-Gypsying We'll Go ", because I want to ;o)-- but really it's just a collection of motifs worked from one of those oh-so-popular African Flower / Paperweight Granny hexagon patterns.  It's lots of fun to crochet.  I can definitely see why it got so popular! I've yet to join any of the motifs-- I'll be doing join-as-you-go in the last round-- so at the moment, all I have to show is a bunch of flowers... The colors in that photo don't show as prettily as (I think) they do in natural light. I'll try again, eventually, if only when I've started joining the motifs.

Because clearly I didn't already have enough WIPs, I've started a new crochet afghan project! This project is something I've been thinking about for a little while, but I was spurred into action by a couple of things. First, my husband has just started getting into a craft of his own (casting pieces in plaster and building small-scale models of castles and other structures), and he wanted to be able to use the same room I've used for polymer clay and storing all our craft supplies.  While tidying and clearing up some space for him, I was "reminded" of the large plastic bin of ~shudder~ novelty yarn hiding in the closet. (Ok, I'd never really forgotten it, and I felt guilty about it whenever I saw it.) Second, that meme I've been posting about lately has a question asking you to talk about and post photos of your stash. Those two things together-- being reminded of my stash and being asked about it-- has shamed me into finally doing something a...

Day 7:  What is your least favorite piece that you've knit? Knitting: Well, if I don't like picking favorites, I like picking least favorites even less! (g)  And I'm just as bad at it as I am at choosing favorites, by the way... The first thing that comes to mind is my second knitting project ever-- something I called a " Mini Dishcloth " that was just a tiny version of the "Grandmother's Favorite" pattern.  I just wasn't happy with the results at all (to the point that I never bothered to take a photo of it).  I'm sure that was due to my inexperience.  After all, with a name like "Grandmother's Favorite", it's probably a decent pattern. ;o) I was also disappointed in my attempt at a Calorimetry .  It looked so nice in so many of the example photos, but I had problems with holes (past the button holes) forming in the knitting-- and then learned that they were just part of the pattern unless you did something differen...

Day 6:  What is your favorite piece that you've knit? Knitting: Full disclosure: I'm terrible at choosing favorites-- or absolutes in general.  (So why do I still like memes, where you are always asked for your favorite/least favorite this or that?) Isn't it true of most of us that our favorite project is either whatever we're working on at the moment, or something that we recently finished? I feel proudest of my (fairly) recently completed cable project ( Spanish Moss Celtic Cables )--  and I love the fact that I dyed the yarn myself, too!-- but I don't know if it's my favorite ... I'm a little concerned that the yarn will feel itchy when I wear it on my neck.  Also, it wasn't at all easy for me to knit.  It required a lot of concentration, and I couldn't ever really lose myself in the knitting, like I could with the Chickadee Cowl or Wham Bam .  So... I'm not sure. (g) Crochet: I find it even more impossible (if one thing can be...

Day 5:  How long did it take from the time you learned how to knit, to finish your first project? Knitting: Well, I tried to teach myself to knit twice.  The first time, I don't think I got beyond a row or two of knitting a garter stitch square-- then I gave up on it for a while.  A year later, I tried again (and had to re-learn how to cast on and knit), and it stuck.  If you count that first garter stitch dishcloth as my first project, it took me a day or two-- started it one day, finished it the next.  ((g) That's kind of hilarious.  The thing is tiny.  Today, I could finish it in no time-- certainly in one sitting.) My first non-dishcloth project ( Drizzled Chocolate Scarf ) took longer.  Started November 19th, 2011 and finished December 8th, 2011. Oh, and I just realized maybe I've been misinterpreting this question.  I taught myself to knit (the time it stuck) on October 2nd, 2011.  So it took me a day from then to finish my ...

Day 4:  How did you learn to knit? Knitting: I wish I had some cozy or interesting story about how I learned-- taught at my mother's or grandmother's knee, perhaps, but nope.  I don't know if anyone in my (immediate) family even knows how to knit.  I've certainly never seen them knitting.  (My mother has always been "crafty", but her crafts-- as an adult, at least-- have not been yarn-based.  Right now, she's very interested in quilting, and she and my maternal grandmother are both big on gardening-- mostly the decorative type with flowers, shrubs, and trees.) I taught myself to knit from video tutorials online.  Come to think of it, that's a pretty interesting (if not uncommon) way to learn to knit, I guess.  It wasn't so long ago that video took too long to be practical for quick and easy watching online-- and now, just a short time later, you can find free video tutorials about almost anything, online.  (I also met my husband online, inci...

Day 3:  Do you have any other WIPs (works in progress)? Why, yes!  Yes, in fact, I have!  ;o) Knitting: It's a bit silly to even list my Strangling Vine Lace Scarf as a WIP, since I have so very, very little done on it, but it's still on a needle, so technically, I guess it counts as "in progress".   It's going to be my first lace knitting project in laceweight, assuming I ever go back to it... Crochet: In addition to the secret project I mentioned in yesterday's answer, I have two other long-term secret projects in the works.  They're both on hold, and because they aren't "due" until Christmas, I may not resume work on them again for a while.  They're both over 66% done. I had almost forgotten my only other crochet WIP-- even though it's been sitting out in plain sight for the duration of its hiatus.  Ravelry reminded me of it, though.  It's my first Elizabeth Hiddleson doily-- a pattern named "Pretty Baby"...

Fifty cents doesn't buy much these days.  (That sounds like the intro for a sales pitch of some kind, but no fear, I'm not trying to sell you Liberty Mutual life insurance or guilt you into a donation with photos of sad-eyed puppies.) Ahem.  As I was saying, you can't get much with fifty cents, unless you're at a yard sale-- and sometimes not even then.  But last Saturday, I lucked out at a library book sale and got a hefty treasury of knitting patterns for just half a dollar. A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns , by Barbara G. Walker.  Isn't it a beauty?  ;o) But seriously, there are a lot of patterns in there.  It's 398 pages long (including the index), and though I can't find a stated number of patterns included, there must be hundreds of them (since there are often two patterns per page).   ETA:  Ok, I see it on the back of the book, now.  There are "700 pattern stitches, both traditional and original". This book has so man...

Day 2:  What is currently on your needles/hook? Knitting: (After looking at the question for day 3, I assume "currently on your needles" here means the one knitting project you're really focusing on... or the one you last worked on.) I'm still working on my re-do of the the garter stitch section of Multnomah .   It's going well.  (As far as I know, but how much do I know, considering that I thought it was going great last time?)  I'm still enjoying it, but honestly, I want the garter stitch section to be over soon so that I can start the feathers and fans section.  It'll be my first time knitting the feather and fan! Crochet:  Well, that's a secret project.  ( It's All Very Hush-Hush. )   As such, I can't really go into details without possibly spoiling someone's surprise.  I can reveal that it is motif-based and uses a lot of different colors, so I'm happy.  ("Motif-based with lots of different colors" is proba...

Today I finished a secret project that I'll be giving to its recipient on Saturday.  Actually, I'll be giving a handful of recent secret projects, so I'll finally be able to share some details.  (And photos.  I need to take photos before I wrap them.) - - - - - - - On the non-secret project front, I ran into a snag on Multnomah.  I was nearing the end of the garter stitch portion, but when I took a count, the numbers didn't match up on either side of the "spine"-- and neither count was correct.  (I'm not sure what I did wrong...) I contemplated ripping back several rows, putting the stitches back on the needles, and counting... but that was so nerve-wracking and irritating (not to mention time-consuming) that I finally decided to just rip it all the way back and start from scratch.  I'm glad I did.  I'm over halfway through the garter stitch section again.  If I get to the end and it's wrong again (and I can't easily fix or fudge i...