The Divorce Doily

I had this great idea that for Christmas this year, I would do something different for my mom. It turned out to be a nightmare of a doily! I had started out on a very pretty and simple lace pattern but early on for no obvious reason, I messed it up. I wasn't able to save it, so I decided to save time by starting over with a different pattern that had fewer rows. My first mistake was in trying to make a doily to fit in a frame I had already bought. My second mistake was thinking all doily patterns are created equal and allowing myself only one day to get it done. The make up of the second pattern was so intense that by the time I finished the 40 or so rows of the pattern, my hands were reduced to shaking claws. My hubby came to my rescue to help me block the doily and he managed to wedge it into the frame. By that time I had lost all control over my fingers. He lovingly referred to this doily as the "divorce doily" since it nearly split the family apart (they were all told to stay away so I could count!). I swore I would never do a doily again. It was even the first time I ever considered throwing my knitting across the room! A few weeks have passed and I no longer feel such distaste for the doily. I went to my parents house earlier this evening and grabbed some photos since I hadn't gotten any before. Who knows, I might even do one again, just not this pattern!

This pic is a sock for my little guy. I am calling this pair the "Spongebob Smoothie" since the yarn looks like the colors of all the characters of Spongebob mixed together. I started these this afternoon and should be done with the second one tomorrow. I also made a pair of socks for Timi with the yarn left over from my last pair and have been working on her sweater. There is a lot of repetition in the sweater so I need to stop often. This is a pic of her trying it on so I could check the fit.