Swan Lake or The Ugly Duckling?

Ok, so I mentioned that I joined the Mystery Stole #3 knitalong. I may have mentioned that I'm not a follower in life, so it's really no shock that I haven't actually been knitting "along" with anyone through the whole thing.

This has worked out in a number of ways- not being the first to finish a clue means not being the first person to find problems with the chart. Clearly, with 7000 people participating, if I lag behind, the mistakes are corrected before it's even close to becoming an issue.

Secondly, if the instructions are even * slightly * unclear, all 7000 people appear to complain about it and Melanie clarifies.

Lastly, it turns out that the MS3 stole is not actually truly a stole at all. It has a "wing" on one end, themed after Swan Lake or the Swan Princess, or possibly (if it turns out poorly), the Ugly Duckling. Worse yet, for those who kept up the whole time, if they want a rectangular shawl (or a "stole", if you will), they have to rip out 50 rows of lace knitting.

That's right. 50 rows of lace knitting. Or just short of 5000 stitches. Did you choke a little on your coffee? I did.

Unlike the rest of the list (which is full of echoes of "Melanie is so great!" and "Isn't it great to be a sheep and follow the herd!"), she seemed to be the ONLY person who was sorely pissed about having wasted the time knitting the extra 50 rows when Melanie could have simply said, "Stop at the lifeline and wait for the next clue."

The rest of the "sheeples" (that would be defined as the mindless masses who follow the herd) complained loudly that she is an ingrate and that Melanie is a philanthropic genius for sharing the experience with all of us.

Now, not to speak against the sainted Melanie (who I'm sure is a very nice person), but the lack of foresight was… thoughtless. I know that I have no desire to have a misshapen stole- even if it's asymmetrical on purpose, when I wear it out, asymmetrical knits have a tendency to look… shitty. There, I said it.

There are already enough nasty stereotypes about knitters and knitting. Asymmetry only perpetuates the ignorance. But, if you like asymmetry, go for it. It's just not my thing.

What I'll probably do is just reverse the charts and knit it back symmetrically, but I have only finished the first chart of the first clue, so I have ample time to decide.

In any case, I would like to think that my lack of project dedication really paid off this time.

Take that, you knitting overachievers!