Arrrrgggghhhhhh.....

So, one of the "very important things" to know about knitting with small children is that your time and attention are limited. Very, very limited. So projects that would otherwise be perfectly within your range (and that ought to take a couple days to finish) become huge looming, month(s) long dramas, often having sections ripped out b/c you rushed to finish something during someones nap, or were distracted by the screeching. For example, my lovely toddler Bog Jacket is going to need the neck binding off ripped out and redone b/c it is way to tight, and I accidentally did it too soon. (I had intended to give it a raised collar.) AND, sigh, I dropped a stitch, which, I tried picking up 3 times and was unable to get right, somehow. :-(

I know (conceptually) how to pick it up, but I have precious little practise doing it, I just don't drop stitches, The last (unintentional, that is, phony seams, or this instance was on purpose, to repair a split stitch) time it happened was probably 3 or 4 years ago. (I know, I know, poor me...)
So, between the toddler "help" and general, well, mayhem, I ended up with slightly "off" or twisted stitches every time until I gave up and helped sort out "the sand table incident" nearly in tears of frustration. I have just put the whole thing aside for now, maybe someone can help me on Saturday at Sip 'n Knit.... *hopeful grin*?

So my other handy/easy/kid friendly project is my sock, but, of course after choosing the cable I want to go with, I can't find my favorite ever markers, my lovely, wonderful, perfect coil less safety pins from schoolhouse press. I can NEVER find them when I want to. NEVER. At this point I really am near tears. (of frustration at least) I dug through ALL my knitting bags, no idea where to look next. I will have to order another pack, that's the only way I ever get them to appear. (Seriously, there is a pattern of this happening with disturbing regularity.)

So I set sock aside, b/c I HAVE to have the tools I want, or I will spend the whole time muttering to myself and getting more and more upset, so, what to do? I NEEDED something to work on, simple, gratifying, useful if possible, not requiring me to dig for more tools or spend lots of time planning/preparing. I had been planning on Elisa's Nest Tote, but as I scanned the instructions I noticed it was knit and then seamed. Ugh. Heresy! So I made up my own. Hah! I am really pleased with how it is coming out, also it has been very cathartic b/c it's coming together so quickly, looks quite nice, and is completely "seat of my pants knitting" so I don't have to peer intensely at my nearly invisible laptop screen (remember, I have been dragged outside to the sand table...) and figure out someone else's pattern. I took some pictures of the progress, and when it's done I'll jot the pattern down in case anyone else want a completely knitted in one piece in the round mesh bag. Sophia wants "a little one for me too" so I'll run that off as well.

Well, I'm off to knit round and round and relax a little before sleep....
--The Tranquil Knitter
(or Tranquilized Knitter, as I work on the "box of wine"...)