An Aha! Moment

Last night I cast on for the Kiri Shawl by Polly Outhwaite (again) and, after following the written instructions, decided to try working from the charted instructions just to see what kind of trouble I could get myself into. You see, I was afraid of following charts and would put aside a pattern I really loved just because I would have to follow a chart. I was watching The Bachelor in Paris and just thought "what the heck". I really like the chart now. I get it! I haven't f*&%ed up yet!

I'm trying to make life easier by putting markers before and after the center stitch and I'm using a row counter. I don't know where all my row counters have disappeared to but luckily I finished my second Clapotis last night (yippee!) and freed one up. Unfortunately, this row counter didn't fit on this pair of needles I'm using for the Kiri so I just threaded it through a piece of yarn and wore it around my neck. Functional but fugly. You know, I'm anti-fugly, if I can do anything about it. So here is my solution





I'd like to re-string it onto silk cord later but I don't happen to have any in my beading box.

I have committed to knitting the Tubey sweater from the latest edition of Knitty for the Knitting Olympics. I think I'm going to do it in Patons Classic Merino or, if I can get some in time, Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks. Thanks Yarn Harlot for putting this KAL together! Go Team USA!