Mystery Stole-ing Along

Ok, so I signed up for mystery stole 3 like, AGES ago, when the yarnharlot was doing her enabling bit, but I've only just started knitting it now. I'm so far behind everyone! I've been collecting all the clues obsessively, and trying not to look at other people's pictures too closely - it's like the Harry Potter book, I don't want to know what it looks like before I've made it. But it's only yesterday that I actually got my arse into gear and started knitting.

I've finished Clue 1 now, and am 1/5 of the way through Clue 2. I'm trying to get them all 4 released clues finished before the next one is up. The break for the new HP book will help with that - I should be all caught up by then. Here's a pic at the end of clue 1:


I can't believe I knitted that! This is my first piece of major lace knitting - proper lace knitting, I would say, and I'm so stunned. The pattern is GORGEOUS, and it's actually working out. Of course, the lifelines are indispensable. I've got them spaced about every ten rows or so, and my god, I've needed them. I'm finding it not that bad following the charts, it's just that every now and then my attention wanders for a split second, and bam! I miss a YO or knit an extra stitch, and then spend ages trying to figure out what I did.

And I actually swatched! (something I'm absolutely terrible at doing - I'd rather rip out an entire sweater than make a 4x4 inch square)

OK, so it's not much of swatch, and it got ripped back out for use in the stole, but since it was just to check the yarn and needles were working well together, and all stitches and YOs were visible, I figured it wasn't necessary to do a HUGE swatch. And I got bored. Swatching feels like knitting with no purpose to me. I know it's all for the maths etc, but I'd rather get straight into making the actual object.

I can see how lace knitting can be addictive though. I love this pattern, and I absolutely adore the pattern for mystery stole 2 - Scheherazade. I'm sooo going to buy that pattern just as soon as all my bills are paid - yes, I'm still on a strict budget. Even $6 is too much right now. But I'm too busy with the mystery stole to do anything but drool over that pattern anyway.