WIP Wednesday: One Active and One Goof

First, I have good news to report!

I am in the homestretch on my Ivy League Vest. I just changed to a 16" circular from the 24" one I've been working with throughout the project. As you can see, with the armhole steeks and the V-neck steek taking stitches away, this baby is dwindling down. In a few more rounds there will be a fourth steek for the back of the neck, which will take away more stitches. 

My only small beef with the pattern thus far is that there is no mention of a smaller circular in the larger size needle. There is a 16" circular needle called for in a smaller size for working the neck and armhole edging, but none for where I am at this point. There is no way I could maintain this on a 24" circular. These are good things to know at the beginning of a project, because you find yourself in FO frenzy, searching the house for that 16" circular, only to find that the only one you have is filled with yarn on another project, so you go to the craft store to find an 18" circular, but they only have 16" and 24" (which you already have and no longer need) and a 48" and then go to a second craft store to find the same dilemma, and then a third to find...well, you get it. Oh, and I might mention that the reason I had to go to all the craft stores is because my LYS is closed on Tuesday. I know they would have had size 3 circulars in any length I wanted!

Still and all, I love the pattern, I love how the Black Water Abbey Sport yarn is working up, and I am hoping to finish up before hot weather hits. Maybe by the end of the week?

Now for the second part of this post, I must report on an unintentional WIP. Yep, it's one I thought I had finished months ago. I was so sure it was good to go that I entered it into a fiber arts competition...

...at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, no less.

We love and subscribe to the Mother Earth News magazine, so when I saw that the fair was coming to Puyallup, which is just right up the road from us, I knew we had to go. Then when I noticed that they were having a fiber arts competition, I knew I had to enter something. I've never entered one before--why not?And what better item to enter than my Kathy's Cowl made with gorgeous Washington-grown Ravenwood Cashmere? And it looks all finished, right?

Wrong! Look what was lurking inside, ready to embarrass the heck out of me? Not one, not two, but THREE pesky yarn ends that had not been woven in.

Allow me to explain how this horrible thing happened. My usual process is to finish up, weave in ends (leaving a bit of end to allow for stretching), wash, block, and then go back and hide all the ends. I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten to take care of that last step, because you know and I know that when that sucker is dry, all you want to do is wear the darned thing. That's usually okay when it's something that doesn't then get entered into a competition. Dagnabbit!

So I am here to make you feel better for all those times when, like me, you made a silly mistake, a rookie mistake, an humbling mistake. We all make them.

I don't think I stood much chance of winning anyway, but it would have been great to get a good score. As you can see from the previous picture, I got a 25.5 out 30 because of the silly yarn ends. The winner of my category was a free-form bag with all sorts of beading and a beautiful lining. Here is a picture of the competition tables on the MEN Facebook page and surely soon they will post pics of the winners there. The Grand Prize winner is in the foreground of that picture and was a beautiful lace shawl with all sorts of fall-themed motifs--sheafs of grain, pumpkins, witches on brooms, etc. It was amazing!

All WIP's aside, thanks to the three folks who have already entered this week's Junebug Days Scavenge Challenge. We need a few more to make things interesting, so don't delay! This one stays open until Sunday. On Monday I'll be back with a new Scavenge Challenge! Join us!