I started this project last summer during the lull of the pandemic. At that point, I just needed something interesting and surprising to keep me going, and I thought, “HEY. I have never knit brioche before. Maybe I should do that?”
Oh, Stephanie. You sweet summer child. Why did you think something complicated was the best idea to take on during a pandemic? I'm not sure now what came over me. But since I'm a serial monogamist when it comes to knitting, I couldn't just set this aside and move onto something else. I had to finish it, come hell or high water.
And for about 70% of the knit, everything went okay. I got the hang of the brioche pretty quickly. The pattern itself alternates between brioche and garter stitch, so I got periods of rest between the harder bits. I only made a few errors until the very last section… when I made several in a row and couldn't figure out how to fix them. It started to become incredibly frustrating, and I just wanted it over with. Then I ran out of yarn in the last section! Ugh. I subbed in some of the contrasting color and did the best I could. Then when I blocked it, I found a dropped stitch WAY back in the first half of the knit. ARGH! I had to do some creative weaving and fix that too.
Let me tell you. I think I need to concentrate on simple knits from here on out. Garter or stockinette, a few colors, some stripes, some basic shaping, and that's it, folks. I run 5 businesses (this name, my pen name, SFR Station, my web development business, and an anthology) and it's too much to expect brain power at the end of the day. I need MINDLESS KNITTING. This Plumpy Shawl? Not so mindless. I should have known better, and I certainly do now.
I loved knitting with this yarn, though! How could I not? It's La Bien Aimee, from my good pal, Aimee in France. The yarn was squishy and pretty and just delightful. I will definitely order from her again.
All the details about yarn and needles and more images are all on Ravelry.
I've already cast on for my next knit and I feel confident that I'll be able to handle this one. :)
