Halfway to Zena (Warrior Princess) is Finished!

I know many of you have been on pins and (knitting) needles fretting over my unfortunate blunder.


Not to worry. All is well. While the bodice of my Zena (Warrior Princess) is slightly smaller I can happily report the bust should fit just fine. I decided it was okay to sport more of a "Jane Mansfield" (or Jane Russell, or Marilyn Monroe) fit.

Not only am I beginning to feel very old Hollywood glam about my silk/alpaca/linen/camel*/cashmere/bamboo/mystery yarn loveliness, I am also 50% finished! Bwahahaha!


I will admit I was confused (really how could I not be confused since I can't count properly) when it came time to complete the back of the collar. For those who haven't done it yet, forget the schematic at this part it will just confuse you more. Those 40 stitches are going to be upside down on the back of your neck and at the end of each row (both sides) you will knit (or purl) it together with the side of the collar.


I kept trying to rationalize the "c/o 40 sts" instruction in my head and I finally just decided to take a leap of faith and try. I also remember thinking about Yoda in Empire Strikes Back with his "Do or do not. There is no try."

Yeah, I think about Yoda occasionally. I'm special that way.

The color changed a bit up by the collar to include some lovely mohair that kept calling to me. (Saucy vixen that goddess named Mohair)


If you squint your eyes a bit (or take off your glasses) you can see how the color will blend together from far away:


Nice right? I'm happy so far. I'm at the home stretch and I just have 17½ inches of stockinette to complete...


For some reason I'm reminded of the the scene in Lawrence of Arabia when they set out to cross "The Sun's Anvil".

*The Hereen of Hokulani Farms. They have good stuff.

Counting Stitches (and the panic it induces)

Well I finally realized why I cast on so many times... I can't count.
Call it a testament to the level of education we receive here in the States, but somehow I managed to get past Algebra III and deep into Statistics without being able to count properly.

Some how the instructions "CO 104 sts" equals (in my little brain) "CO 102 sts"

Yeah.
Oh, just wait, it gets better...


I bound off the appropriate number of stitches for the armscye, knit until I needed to evenly divide the stitches for the neck shaping, worked the appropriate number of stitches (which should be half the total number of stitches), went to place the remaining stitches (which should also, coincidentally, be half the total number of stitches) on a stitch holder and....

Not half. (?)
Not evenly divided. (??)
41 stitches (Wha'???)

Hmm. Let's recount the number of stitches worked. Perhaps we got a tad overzealous. We are enjoying this knitting experience so much we simply lost track of the number of stitches worked. Let's count again.

Not half. (?)
Not evenly divided. (??)
42 stitches (Wha'???)

Somewhere in the 14½ inches of straight knitting required to get to the armscye, I managed to dwindle 102 stitches to 95....


Good times right?
Oh, just wait, it gets better...

Then, as I was counting and recounting, as I desperately tried to make sense of the madness, in a pivotal moment, I remembered.

The moment was akin to the remembrance Mrs. Dalloway experiences as the scent of fresh flowers envelops her while shopping and she is instantly transported to the summer evening parties in the days of her youth.

It was that profound. But, instead of scent acting as the catalyst, I believe texture was the agent.

Deep in the cockles of my little brain, there is a slightly dusty and battered memory of "customizing" my Zena (Warrior Princess) with some waist shaping.