Knit-along in January & February

Welcome to the inaugural KAL here at Maureen Foulds Designs!

I'm very excited to announce the details of the upcoming Knit-along, which will coincide with the release of the first pattern in my upcoming Hercule Poirot series. The Hercule Poirot series will feature characters or novel titles from Agatha Christie's novels and short stories featuring everyone's favorite mustachioed Belgian detective.

Also, each of the pattern samples will be knit in Sweet Georgia Yarns range of sock yarns. You don't need to use Sweet Georgia yarn, but they are delicious to knit with and come in fabulous colors.

The read-along is optional. I've linked to the novel below. Your local library should have it. There's no need to buy a copy.

Pattern: Captain Hastings
Release Details:
- The pattern for the KAL will be available for $1.00 for 5 days: January 1-5th, 2014.
- Pattern photos & yarn/yardage requirements will be posted here Dec 22nd to allow people to decide whether they want to knit this pattern or pick another one of my patterns.

KAL dates: Monday, January 6th – Friday, February 28th

Guidelines:
- Have fun!
- Knit Captain Hastings or any other of my patterns if you prefer
- Read The Big Four if you want and discuss.

This is a no-pressure KAL where the goal is to have fun, get to know each other and maybe indulge in some selfish post-Holiday knitting. Finish, don't finish - just hang out and have fun.

Prizes:
- Skein of Sweet Georgia sock yarn. Randomly awarded at the end of the KAL from amongst anyone who finishes at least 1 sock.
- 2 copies of the full Poirot collection. 1 awarded at midpoint randomly. 1 awarded at end randomly.
- 6 pattern prizes (winner's choice of pattern) randomly awarded weekly from posters in KAL thread. The more you comment, the more chances you have!

Optional:

The Big Four, by Agatha Christie

Book: The Big Four, by Agatha Christie. Read-along with me. The Big Four is a fun read, comprised of mini-stories within a story as Poirot tackles a cabal of master criminals known as The Big Four.

Hercule Poirot is preparing for a voyage to South America. Looming in the doorway of his bedroom is an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust and mud. The man's gaunt face registers Poirot for a moment, and then he collapses. The stranger recovers long enough to identify Poirot by name and madly and repeatedly scribble the figure '4' on a piece of paper. Poirot cancels his trip. An investigation is in order. Fortunately, Poirot has the faithful Captain Hastings at his side as he plunges into a conspiracy of international scope -- one that would consolidate power in the deadly cabal known as 'The Big Four.'

An epically frustrating knitting day

We all have bad days. Some worse than others. And sometimes they don't spread themselves out. Instead the bad stuff decides to jump on you on the same day.

I recently had the trifecta of terribleness, a convergence of crap, a fistful of frustration. 

First, it was Monday. Sure, not the worst thing in the world. It happens every 7th day. You learn to deal. But looking back it seem appropriate that it was a Monday.

Sweet Georgia Pistachio colorway

Second, I was looking forward to a special yarn shipment from Sweet Georgia Yarns. They were kind enough to send me an extra skein of their BFL sock yarn in the amazing Pistachio colorway. It's destined to become one of my Poirot collection socks for February. Canada Post said it should arrive by Nov 29th. On Monday, I finally got the key tag in my mail box to open the parcel delivery box where my Sweet Georgia yarn was. Thing is - there was no key on the tag.

You know the scenes in the movies where the prisoner and his visitor put their hands up to the glass partition to "touch"? Yeah - that was  me and my yarn. Hunched in the dark, cold rain. Separated by a thin piece of metal. And a lock with no key.

And the feather in my cap of a bad knitting day? Back from the mailbox, I spent my evening finishing up the size 12 mens socks that were to be the mates of the Pistachio prisoner. I was excited because I was about 4 inches away from being done. I was itching to start a new project.

Right before bedtime I looked at the sock, gauging how close I was to completion. Then it hit me: I had forgotten to mirror the stitch pattern.

It felt like every anxiety dream I've ever had. My stomach felt like it had dropped to the floor. 13 inches of sock and I'd NEVER NOTICED! To be fair, I think this is the first of my sock to feature a mirror image pattern. But still!

Now if this was any old sock I wouldn't care. But I have plans for a photo shoot for these socks. I need pattern photos. Photos that don't highlight my rookie mistake.

Nothing to but rip out 13" of extra large sock. It took around 13 hours to knit it and only 4 minutes to rip it out.

I chuckled the entire four minutes though.