Discomfitted but

The word discomfitted used to mean to defeat your enemy in battle, but it has slid into meaning  'to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment'.  As ever, I am my own worst enemy and have done both.

I knit the sleeve to the point where I had to put in the bottom tuck stitches but the sleeve seemed too wide. I took a count and laid the two sleeves out together.

I had to pull back a fair ways.  I needed 6 fewer stitches than what was on my needles before starting the tucks.  Sigh.  

And then if you recall the very very cute Das Monster baby pants?  Same same. It might even be worse.  

Yes this is not what you saw before.

Instead of being able to work with the utterly divine Mini Duett,  I have switched it out for some much more plebeian sock yarn, mostly Phildar Phil Folk 50.  The Mini Duett did not pass the first part of it's washability test, the washing machine. I didn't even want to know what would happen to it, if I put it in the dryer.  It couldn't be machine washed AT ALL.  So, not suitable for baby things, not for this mom anyway.  The Phil Folk 50 will be a much better wash and wear alternative.  I have used some for my socks and it is a fine commercial blend, sturdy as you like.

All stash yarns too, which is always a good thing.

But that left me with the question of what would I knit with these small quantities of yarns?  2 and 3 balls doesn't go very far. 

And then as I was waking from my semi regular nap, as it sometimes does, a flash of brilliance.   Sock Arms! Sock Arms and her designer, Stephanie Lotven.

Copyright Fruity Knitting Podcast

Which reminds me, if you haven't watched the Fruity Knitting Podcast, you should.  They have some great interviews and lots of fun knitting things!

I do have lots of black and lots of the red.  Either of those colours would be great for the main body of the sweater and my small quantity colours, possibly interspersed with just the smallest bit of red and black, à la my version of the Lakeur Sweater,?

Oh YES.  

The colours certainly suit my mood for colour combinations these days. I did look through my sock yarns a few times and just wasn't inspired by any of the stuff I had for sweater sleeves in combination with possible yarns for the body section. But the Mini Duett quantities will be perfect for the main body and for the arms. It can't get better than that.   

I first came across this sweater via the Knitmore girls podcast and ever since, the question of what yarns will I use, floats around in my head poking out at odd moments.  One of those odd moments was as I was waking from my nap.  Yay nap time!

So what may have been a kind of dismal day, full of perplexity and defeat turned into success.  And that leads me to my morning work and setting down to watch some podcasts, Fruity Knitting is the podcast of the day, naturally, and my favourite new thing.

Exactly how I feel today.