What a day

You know what's great?  Awesomely gracious knitting testers.

I'm running a test knit for a sweater pattern, (it is knit by volunteers before release to find anything that's wrong/unclear).  Something wasn't working and I spent the last day trying to figure out what it was.  Actually I landed on the problem almost immediately, and then spent a few hours hoping against hope that wasn't actually the problem and trying to find another problem because it was too horrible to contemplate.

I'd double checked all the math in the spreadsheet, double checked the stitch counts in the pattern were the same as the numbers in the spreadsheet where I did the math for all the sizes, double checked that key measurements made sense.  But I made a typo that I hadn't caught.

The typo was the stitch gauge.  It was supposed to be 14 sts/4" but I hit 7 instead of 4 and it never occurred to me to check that I hadn't made this particular mistake.

I felt so bad, for wasting my testers' time since whatever progress they had made wouldn't fit them.  It will need to be started over.  I told them any who wanted to leave the test could and would get the free patterns I'd promised as compensation for completing the test, that we could change the deadline and anyone who wanted to stay could have double the number of patterns I'd originally promised.

Guys, they were so nice about it.  So nice, which is such a wonderful relief.

So I'm back to sizing my text garment that's supposed to come out, I'll definitely be double checking that I put the gauge in right this time.

Grading

I've been working on grading (writing out the instructions for each size) this pattern for a while, it seems like it's going well then suddenly I hit a roadblock.  I finally figured out the last one and got past it only to discover there's something funny about the armholes.  I have the sample, it fits perfectly so the original instructions are fine.  But my spreadsheet isn't lining up with the instructions, there has to be some wonky typo somewhere that's throwing everything off.  It's taking way longer than I had originally planned, but the yarn I'm waiting for is delayed so I have time to work on it and I think I'll still be able to meet my goal for when I want it to be released.

In other news I released a new pattern this week, it's something I liked but a magazine rejected.  I'd already made the sample though, it's such a small project that a swatch seemed silly when I could knit the entire tiny bowl myself.  It's already sold twice and I'm pleased as punch.

Relief

I feel like myself instead of a pregnant zombie, it's about the most amazing thing ever.  The mittens I cast on last week are not working out, but that's okay because the magazine I submitted the other idea that uses the same chart bought the pattern, I haven't had a ton of commissions yet but I imagine the "we would like to publish your work and pay you" emails never get old.

There is a large yarn sale later this week and I will be going to get the yarn for baby's blanket and stocking, I'll be making Fly Away by TinCan Knits for the blanket and I'm super-excited about it.  I've already done the bath so I know how many balls of each colour to get in the yarn I've picked.

Looking up

We haven't had any disasters in the last couple days, the kids are being normal children (so mischievous but not terrors), my knitting tests are going well, one person left a really nice comment on my sweater project page and someone else wants to be earburned when it's released.  Also, I am about to go eat some ice cream.  I am having a really good day.

I've been knitting mostly on the blanket recently but I've decided it's time to knit something fun.  I had a hat planned, swatched, and realized that what I was thinking isn't going to work.  Then I decided on mittens, there's a chart I made for a submission I sent in a couple weeks ago that I could use except then I'd have to keep the whole thing under wraps until the real design is rejected or published.  I should hear any day but I might just make the mittens, and keep them as secret mittens if the magazine does buy the pattern.

What a month

It seems like I've been thwarted at each turn this month, things keep breaking, we've had a trip to the emergency room (we're all fine now), and as soon as I get one major thing dealt with there's another.  Needless to say things haven't been very productive on the knitting front.

I have a summer top that I designed a while ago that needs to be graded (the math done for the instructions for the sizes other than the sample I knit), and getting a major part of that done is on the docket for this week.  I started earlier, and will continue tomorrow it seems since I have to go help dig our house of of a snow storm.

Crunch Time

I've been trying to catch up on my submissions, there's one more open one I really want to submit to and I have some of the work done.  It's due later this week and I have a lot to do, I'm hoping to get the drawings and at least one swatch today.  The write ups and other swatches tomorrow.  Here's hoping it all comes together.

I was a bit frusterated last week, I got a bunch of rejections and no one wanted to test knit my sweater.  But in the last few days  a couple people have joined the test (gloriously, they are different sizes to each other and to me which helps with yardage estimates plus shows the sweater in different sizes) and I've had a few individual pattern sales which was encouraging.

I'm trying to plow through which means that I'm off to chart my swatches, hopefully I'll have the charts done so I can swatch while I wait for an appointment later today!

Change of plans

My husband was going to see some friends Tuesday night while I stayed home and worked on knitting patterns.  I'd have three hours of uninterrupted quite time when I was the only person awake, I was going to have tea, chocolate, and progress.

After we put the kids to bed I looked at my husband and said I was cold (nothing unusual there), then he said he was cold too, which is odd considering the man is practically a human furnace.  At this point we discovered the actual furnace was broken, it was going to be several hours until the emergency repair guy could come, the temperature was dropping, and he probably would need parts not in his truck so it likely wouldn't be fixed until morning anyways.

I spent the evening relocating children to my parents' house while my wonderful husband wrapped himself in an electric blanket and dealt with the repair man.  Needless to say, progress didn't happen.

Now, I was momentarily really upset about this when I happened to look at the news and remembered that there are lots of people that have some pretty serious problems and a problem that involves a loss of productivity, a 15 minute drive in a warm SUV, and sleeping in warm comfortable beds that are not our own isn't really a big deal.  I have some catching up to do but we're pretty blessed.