Days of Wine and Roses

Sometimes life just seems to have a "theme". This past week has been all about roses - the fibery and the floral. I have been working (still) on the first sleeve of Autumn Rose. When we last saw this sleeve I had totally disregarded the instructions and knitted it according to what I thought I saw on the picture in the book. Anne from She Ewe Knits (who looks positively ravishing in her Autumn Rose by the way) straightened me out and this revelation sent me straight to the *frog pond (do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars).

I also charted the pattern on Stitch and Motif Maker. For some reason, the pattern in the book is charted so the light colours are represented as black squares and the dark colours are light squares. This is too much processing for me to convert in my brain so I needed to get it charted in a way that I could easily translate.

I am now well on my way and the pattern just glows. This differs from the typical Starmore pattern in that each pair of colours is used for 3 rows then swapped for two new colours at the same time. There will be many ends to darn in which will be different for me because I'm used to knitting in the new and knitting out the old shades when only one colour is changing at a time. I think I'll have to darn in the ends about every 5 inches of knitting or so. If I don't, I'll be going mad when this is done.

I've not had much time to knit on the Rose because I'm madly trying to finish the scarf for the Five Counties Fair in two weeks and because I've been taking as many freelance writing assignments as possible to be able to buy this.

Yes, my '99 Taurus (aka Red Barchetta) finally cried uncle and it was time to get a new vehicle. I tend to buy new and run them into the ground. This is a 2008 Ford Escape in a lovely shade called light metallic sage and I'm really enjoying it. I worked with a seasoned salesman who had a nice easy-going approach. No pressure and the negotiation was actually a pleasure. Of course, the first time you climb into a brand new vehicle you've just purchased is a thrilling moment. When I opened the door of the Escape to get in, there was a single pink rose lying on the front seat. The salesman grinned and said "I started leaving the roses on the seats about twenty years ago. All the ladies get a rose - the guys get the bill." Talk about making a good moment into a WOW moment!

I may have to call this guy out of retirement when I buy my next vehicle.

My experience at the dealership made me ask myself "what are my roses?" How can I turn good moments into great ones for others and for myself?

I don't have all the answers to these questions yet but I will no doubt be pondering them as I work on Autumn Rose. Of course, a glass of fine wine always helps the epiphanies to flow much easier...Pinot Rose of course!

*By the way Dad if you're reading this - frogging means knitters "rippit, rippit, rippit" when they screw up.