When not to knit

One would think that there is never a time NOT to knit. But, I have found such a time. Last night, I CO to make the Fetching gloves for my step mom for Christmas. It's been a long time since I've used the dreaded double pointed needles. I didn't have as hard of a time as I thought I would. Perhaps because these are metal and not bamboo, they're a little more slippery.

But yes, moving on. So I cast on and realized that I needed to make dinner. I have spawn and they get hungry occasionally. I figured, heck, it's a small project, I JUST cast on, so there's not a whole lot going on...I took it with me into the kitchen. I set it down on the counter, decided to take a picture for posterity...

There it is, on the kitchen counter after a row or two I believe. So I began dinner and threw myself into the knitting, stopping only occasionally to stir the pot on the stove.

Wait, back up a second. After I got into the kitchen with yarn and needles (dpn's plus cable needle), I asked the kids to bring me the needle I left by the couch. I decribed it from the kitchen and neither offspring could find it. So, I went to help them out. After 10 minutes of crawling around the couch, I realized that it was firmly stuck in my knitting, as I was in the middle of a row when I got up to go to the kitchen. This should have been my first clue that knitting while cooking dinner was not such a good idea. But no...

The pattern isn't complicated and I had no trouble getting through the first few rounds. Then...it came time to make the second set of cable twists. I had made the first set while sitting down, safely, on the couch. The pattern says I need to do the cable stitch, then purl one all the way through the round. Each needle holds 15 stitches, therefore, I do the cable / purl combo 3 times. The first two went off without a hitch...but the last one, when all I had left on the left needle was the lonely purl stitch waiting to be purled, and was trying to knit the two stitches off the cable needle....

Well, it was only by God's grace that the children didn't hear me swearing as I'd dropped the working needle for the 5th time. They did however hear the needle hitting the counter and floor each time it fell out of the lonely purl stitch.

I have to add, they are such sweet children....they came in to stir the pot for me when they felt I was neglecting it.

Here's a close up image of the cable pattern emerging. Isn't it lovely? I'm so proud of myself.

After a bit, and after dinner threatened to boil over onto the stove for the 4th time, I decided that perhaps, I should wait until after dinner was over with before continuing to work on these.

I was able to get about halfway done with one glove before dropping off to bed at 2am. That's why this blog is called knitting in the dark my friends....it's when I do the majority of my knitting.

Here's where I left off before going to bed...