A Knitting Disaster

I toiled and I strived and I lost a lot of sleep to finish a scarf for myself before our big trip to England. And I loved it! I wore it nearly everyday, with pride, for the two weeks our trip was supposed to last. Then, people started turning up sick, flights were cancelled, and being that I was well, I was stuck cleaning up the vomit and catching up with the laundry. Not the kind of vacation extension I had in mind. Meanwhile, I was furiously trying to finish the baby sweater gifts I neglected while finishing my own beloved scarf. These baby sweaters were gifts for the babies we were visiting, and I was determined to finish them before I left. When it came time to wash them, the day before our rescheduled flight, I mistakenly tossed my beloved scarf in with them. Now, I had washed my scarf in my own machine, cold and delicate, and it came out fine. I hadn't taken into account that this washing machine, a front loader, was in the kitchen, where my children had access to it and all its dials and buttons. Well, my scarf is now a fairly thick, felted belt, with zero stitch definition. I cannot be sure if it was the increased agitation in the machine, or a inability to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit in my sleep deprived, over worked stupor, or that my daughter had potentially changed the settings on the machine, but it doesn't matter. My scarf is not more. I have reordered the yarn. I will remake the scarf, and a hat and gloves to match. It will be even better, and just as gorgeous, and all mine... when I get to it. In the meantime, I have decided to cut the thick, felted belt into squares, and use them as coasters. Not a total loss I suppose.

PS: The baby sweaters were cotton, and survived the dreaded felting machine beautifully.