Afghan Lessons

Michele, Maxie, Willow on red couch

As aforementioned, I completed a 3 year project, my Bear Claw Afghan, a few days ago and have been curling up on the couch watching TV with it and my Papillons these last few evenings while the temperature is below freezing and everyone is staying indoors.  Monday and Wednesday night agility classes have been cancelled for 2 weeks due to the . . . . . . .

"40 degree rule" - if it hits 40 degrees by 6 p.m. (including wind chill factor), classes are cancelled for the evening.  I'm so bummed out!



Misplaced holes are the easiest
errors to find.


Having not much else to do last night, then, and still amazed with myself for completing such a difficult project (actually rated "intermediate" on the pattern, but very difficult for me), I decided to try and make peace with the mistakes I knew I had made in the knitting.  My afghan isn't perfect.  I almost started feeling bad about that, but then I remembered the rule we apply to our dogs in their agility training --

80% rule" - compare right performances to wrong ones and move on at 80% accuracy.  That's not really a good benchmark to set for knitting, typing, filling prescriptions, or any such skills that require endless repetition with small items, but what the hell, figuring percentages is good mental exercise. So I got out my calculator and the pattern and figured out how many stitches there were in the afghan.  Sounds anal but it was easy and more fun for me than the whole book of circle-a-word puzzles my husband was doing in the other chair.


Turns out, there are 68,064 stitches in my afghan!  Holding it up to the light, I counted no more than 18 errors, but I'm sure I missed a few, so let's make it a generous 50.  Divide 50/68,064 = .000735%.  I don't even know how to read that number.  John says it's about 7 thousandths of one percent.  Is that right? Is it thousandths, or hundredths?



68 thousand + opportunities to get it right!

 Whatever, I made up a new rule:

"7 hundredths of one percent rule" - when you get this degree of accuracy in your knitting, it's okay to feel good about your effort, and time to move on to a more advanced project.  And the truth is, I made a lot fewer mistakes toward the end.  Practice makes perfect.

Can I get better?  Oh, yes.  I held my errors down by tearing out my rows back to any error I found, unless I found it 6 rows down (3 hours work), in which case I left it.  BUT, BUT, BUT, there are knitters who can drill one stitch down for several rows, not undoing any rows, and reweave them all back up the line.  That's what I will learn to do before I commence another knitting project.  With all the YouTube videos out there, I'm sure I can find one that teaches how to do this, same as I learned on YouTube how to knit on flexibile needles in the first place.

Scallops on top, bear claws on underside.

In summary, nobody but the pickiest evaluators will ever notice these mistakes.  My afghan is custom made, soft, functional, warm, beautiful, long enough to cover me head to toe, matches my red couch, and no amount of money could buy it for me.  I had to make it to have it.  No matter which side is up, the pattern is pretty (on one side a bear claw, on the other side a scallop shape).  Both sides are UP, which can't be said of all knitting.
The whole time making it, I was also perfecting various skills -- patience, perseverance, focus, dexterity, pattern memorization, etc.  All of these help me build confidence in myself and apply to every other endeavor, including the goals I have set for me and my dogs in 2011 and beyond.

Upwards and onward!

LCCOC Holiday Gathering

Gifts for the Dirty Santa game piled up all over the place.

Yesterday, January 8, the first date our dog club could find without a trial, seminar, or other dog event scheduled.  Still, some are going to miss the annual gathering for a doggie event of some kind.

The party was held at Mary Nell's house last Saturday, 7 p.m.  Over 30 people attended. The club parties are the only time some of the Agility people ever see some of the Obedience people, and we get to meet some of the spouses, who tend to hang out in the kitchen together. Most everyone brought a dish, the dining table and side boy were laden to overflowing with food and desserts, wine was flowing, and the whole crowd was in a great mood.  The Dirty Santa game was fun, as always. 

I drew #2, and immediately chose the little red doggie mat that wasn't wrapped, which fits perfectly in Maxie's crate.  Nobody tried to steal it from me, so it was clearly meant to be mine and of all the gifts, the only one I really wanted!  I found out later that Sheryl wanted it for Charlie's crate too but didn't want to deprive me of it.  Aw! Ain't friends great.

Some of the gifts, unfortunately, seemed like White Elephant items, (recycled toys from out of the agility trial toy bin, a couple of bags full of odds and ends).  A few people immediately began asking other people to take their gift so they could choose again, or ended up giving it to Kathy for the raffle.

Awards were presented, and Maxie and I got our first Plaque from the club showing his Agility Excellent, and Agility Excellent Jumpers titles earned in 2010, and his first crate tag.  I was so happy that his Excellent titles were included, as he earned these in November, while the cut-off date for ordering the awards was October 31st.  Fortunately, since the party was delayed, the ordering date was also delayed, so our plaque actually will display Maxie's current titles for the next full year while we work on getting or Masters titles.

I simply can't fathom why old timers at the club keep reminding me that plaques and ribbons don't mean much, they've earned so many they just toss them in a drawer, don't even bother picking them up, etc.  It's like telling a child that their elementary school A's are meaningless compared to college (but if you get a C or a D your parents are mighty disappointed).  Everybody has got to start somewhere, and should be proud of achievements all along the way.  I am very proud of mine.

John and I took a bunch of candid photos, so tomorrow I'm uploading those to the club's Picasa Web Albums, which I set up a few years back and still maintain.  A few other members (Calvin, Cheryl W.) also have the password, but so far nobody but me has used it.  Once uploaded, I'll post notice on the club forum so everyone can see the pictures.  FYI, Picasa is a Google product, and storage is free up to 20 Gigabytes of photos.  Another freebie!

It's overcast, about 46 degrees out, breezy, and is supposed to rain later today.  I should get out before it rains, work my dogs, work on my long "to do" list, but I just want to stay in my PJ's, cozy up with my poochies, watch TV, knit on my afghan, and NOT think about cleaning the kitchen or taking down what little Christmas decorations I put up.
Yep, it's raining now and the temperature is dropping.  Me and the dogs are staying put.  I trust this day will be productive one way or another, 'cause I start getting depressed when a day goes by without my achieving anything!  However small, however sluggishly attained, the only direction that makes me feel good is


Max on top, Willow below

 Upwards and onward!

P.S. I finished my bear claw afghan tonight! 3 years' work (winter evenings only). So I did accomplish something good today. And as soon as I put it on the couch, Max and Willow took possession.  They think every thing I do is for them.  Where did they get such a crazy idea?

Also, I have 30 days from date of purchase to evaluate if I want to keep our new 40" Panasonic HDTV, so I worked with it awhile and am still not thoroughly satisfied with the picture quality. No matter how I calibrate it, it's either just a wee tiny tad too harsh, too dark, too sharp, etc. Get one thing perfect and something else goes off.) We don't have that problem with the Panasonic 50" in the living room.  Since I'm going to have to live with this TV for several years, I want it to be as pleasing as possible.