I Must Be An Idiot....

that's all there is to it. My projects have to be so extremely complicated to even hold my interest that I am driving myself crazy. Cat Bordhi (the mad scientist of knitting) has figured out a way to cast on stitches to a circular needle in a way that allows you to knit both ends of your scarf at the same time. Yes, she is a true genius. And this concept even makes sense to her in some perverted way. Now when I heard about the moebius cast on I just shook my head and walked slowly away. But I didn't forget about it. Then I started checking Ravelry for examples to see if real people had actually done it. Some had. One crazy person said she had made two of them. I checked blogs. Even the Yarn Harlot blogged that she needed help to learn this cast on! I watched Knitty Gritty and saw Cat demonstrate this cast on. She said something about hummingbirds as her hands flitted this way and that grabbing yarn from over, under and even from Timbuktu. Ok, I was hooked.



I found the most delicious skein of cashmere yarn in a tart apple green and grabbed my needles armed with the printed directions (no pictures) from the DIY website. I read them. I reread them. My hands stayed still. No wild hummingbird flitting actions were coming from them. No stitches jumped onto the needles going both ways at once. I was stumped.



Why hadn't I Tivo-ed that episode so I could slo-mo it and copy her? I don't know. Because I am an idiot most likely. Or because I need to seriously complicate my life more than I can ever imagine, I just don't know. I could have gone out and purchased a book on Magical Knitting to have this explained to me step by step, but no. I had already spent $15.95 for the needles and $18 for 110 yards of cashmere, plus tax, bringing the cost of the scarf to $35 already. I couldn't afford the book.



So I spent hours scouring the Internet for pics from anyone who had succeeded making this magic, and finally found some help. Once I got going, you should have seen me! My hands flitted just like the magical knitter herself! And it worked! I started knitting away and began to see my moebius scarf being knitted from both ends at the same time! It went really quickly too once I got going. I finished the inner stitches and got to the lovely lace border when the end of the ball of cashmere slipped through my fingers with 4 more rows to go. Oh, Man! I really wanted to wear this thing right off, not rip back. But rip back I did, to the main body of stitches, and un-knitted 4 rows from the main pattern. We knitters call this "tinking". Get it? It is knitting backwards. Stitch by stitch, row by row, I watched my mobious scarf un-grow. I removed 4 rows from the body. I wanted the full lace edging, and was willing to forego some of the length from the body.



Next night I was back to knitting, hoping to finish it this time. I really want my magical moebius scarf! So I got back to the lace edging, speeding right along as this was my second time to knit the pattern, with 2 rows left to go, when the end of the ball slipped through my fingers again! What is wrong with my math? I had four rows left the first time, I de-knit 4 rows, and it is gone again with 2 rows left???? AAARRRGGGHHH! I tossed it from my lap in disgust and fumed the rest of the night. Gary said "I think you need more yarn." YA THINK???????????? I reminded him it was $18 a ball, on sale! Regularly much more.



Next day I picked it up and started tinking again. I am not going back to the body of stitches again, this time I am fiddling with the lace border. I can cut out one repeat of the lace eyelets, a 2 row repeat. That should be perfect. I sit and tink wondering what exactly was wrong with my original math. Minus one repeat of the eyelets, I put it aside to finish as my evening's knitting. So last night I picked it up and knitted all the rows left of the lace edging and begin casting off my magical moebius scarf. Half way around the end slips through my fingers AGAIN! I kid you not. This time I not only throw it across the room, I follow it and jump up and down on it swearing like a sailor. It is still sitting there. I am not sure what to do next.



I just keep trying to understand, is this ball of yarn playing with me? Shrinking itself down in yardage to watch my reaction? Or am I really the worst mathematician in the world? I want my scarf, I don't want to spend another $18 (if I did, it would be a $53 scarf!) so what do I do now?? Any suggestions?



Here is a link to see what my scarf should look like: http://www.colorsongyarn.com/cowl_capelet_scarf/cashmere_moebius_cowl.htm



but this is what it does look like: