Fixin' SSK SlipUps

Are you a knitter? If so, then you knew right off the meaning of SSK and the subject of this post.

Not a Knitter? Then you probably gasped and imagined at least one four letter S word that Texans are famous for when combined with a K.  UhNoooooo...it has nothing to do with Kickin', Boots or Booties...but it was a good gasp!!!

So, yes, it has to do with Knitting, and yes, I did say an 'S' word once or twice when I picked up this knitting project for the first time this year.  That's right, it's been a year that this lace shawl has been on the UFO/WIP shelf, but I was so sure that I could pick right up where I left off that I didn't write myself a single note about the pattern abbreviations. 

I mean really, just look at how good I was at keeping track of  when I knitted, what row and set I was on, and this is just one page of 'Tracking Ticks'....there's two more pages of instructions and ticks on the other side of that pink paper clip.  Those instructions are full of SSK's, too.

You would think after knitting the hours it took to make that many Ticks...marks through numbers...one would have the pattern abbreviations memorized forever...or....at least the needles would retain their auto-knit-cycling...as in like riding a bike.  I'm just not ready to admit that my chain must be slipping along with the SSK's.

So confident was I in my 'KnitWit' and 'Auto-Knit Needles' that I zipped through a couple of rows of lace k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk and purl, seed stitch and passing over this knit and that purl before checking out the pattern or counting stitches between pattern changes.  What's that proverb about pride.....Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a faulty SSK...forgive the Biblical re-wording...for some knitters it is a religion.  For me it was a 'ComeUpin' in the form of having to get out the knit aid by Vickie Howell.  Seriously, does she not look prideful confident sitting there knitting in those skinny jeans and stilettos?

I'm glad I invested in her book.  It really is a learn it, fix it, finish it guide...or for me a 'fix it' guide anyway.  The jury is still out on the 'learn it', and for sure the 'finish it'  may have to go before the supreme court to be declared done...I understand there's a loooong wait for their verdict.  That's a good thing for as long as it takes me to 'Get R Done'.

In the meantime, I will continue referencing Vickie's abbreviations.  Especially since I'm back to Web/Blog Knitting as SueKnitWittyWitless...referencing my 'KnitWit' confidence.

So, I'll leave you with this slew of abbreviations as I need to get back to my Tinking of the lace WIP that has been OTK since the 6-25-2011 KAL started with KIP friends at the LYS who assured me this shawl was FCEK.  They LIED...it has been as hard as any VK pattern or IK project...and to think, I gave them my TIA for all of their HTH help!  Needless to say I no longer KIP or KAL anymore at the LYS on this project since I can't remember how to SSK and seem to be OT more often than not while my friends are hard at work on their OKC projects.  I'm OK with it all as I am HK on a shelf full of WIP's with hopes that one day they will be FO's....OMG!!

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