2 Rows Forward One Row Back

I am progressing very slowly with this shawl. I am finding it so difficult to know where the loops of the previous row stitches are and keep going into the wrong hole. When I looked at yesterdays photo I realised that it was out of line at the left hand side so had to take several rows back. Today I have taken another photo and realised that I am a stitch out right in the centre of the pattern. Fortunately this time it is only one row to unravel. This was the story all of last night. I would crochet a couple of rows and then see a mistake and unravel it. It's one of those projects where stopping every row and inspecting it is turning out to be essential.

I just can't get used to the spidery yarn on such a big hook. If the tension was firmer then I would have no problem with it. No problem finding out which hole the next stitch goes into. I have now changed hooks once again to an acrylic hook which is clinging to the wool better then the metal hooks did. This is the reason why I have so many different hooks of the same size. Some hooks work better with certain fabrics. The only hooks that I cannot use are those Brittany Birch with the carved wooden handles. They dig into my palms and wrists. They may look very pretty but I just can't work with them. I also can't work with hooks that have a flattish hook end as the wooden and bamboo ones usually do. I think that everyone has their personal preferences for hooks as I know many people who prefer the Brittany Birch and won't use anything else. I did try with the Clover hooks but I found that the handle part was too flat and in the wrong place for me as it made the hook part too short. I must crochet low down on the shaft of the hook.
My main problem with this shawl is that I just cannot get a rhythm going. I feel like I am crocheting in slow motion as normally I crochet quite quickly and this project is slowing me down to a learner speed. I keep hoping that once the pattern is set in my head ( it is quite an easy one to follow) I will instinctively know when it looks wrong without finding out several rows later. Once I see a mistake then I have to pull it back. I don't know how I will feel though with this shawl if I get almost to the end and then discover a howler. I think that I will just sit and sob if that happens.
I got up very late once again. I am sure that it must be the anti histamine tablets that I am taking although I did buy a supposedly non drowsy brand at the store yesterday. At least they are lessening the leg itches and twitches and I am eventually falling into a deep sleep. I still am having problems nodding off for an hour or more when I first go to bed. I am having 8 hours sleep (rare event for me) but from 2am until 10am instead of 12 - 8 am as I am supposed to.
The day is half over and the only thing that I have done is wash the dishes. I am such a lazy soul these days. I think that once again the weather is making me very lethargic. It's not actually raining today, as yet, but it still very dull and overcast.
I am not sure if Buster is coming tonight or tomorrow morning. He will put a stop to my sleeping late and my fine crochet. I won't be able to concentrate whilst he is around plus I don't want my shawl covering with loose dog hair.

No post again today but I did get about 5 bits of junk mail yesterday. My regular postman said that he had been off work for a few days so maybe that explains it. Not that I was expecting any mail of any importance but it's just strange when a day goes by without any mail even if it is junk mail.

Time for a shower and to see if I can revive myself to get some more crochet done this afternoon. Let's hope that today I can do more rows than I unravel!

I Have Started The Fine Crochet Shawl

I have finally bitten the bullet and started the fine shawl. I must admit that I am struggling a bit with it. It is not that the wool is so fine but as the hook is so large I am having difficulty pulling the yarn through cleanly. I have had to really slow down my rhythm to make sure that I complete each stitch properly. I am supposed to be using a 4mm hook but I had to change down to a 3.50mm to be able to work the stitches at all. I do tend to crochet a bit on the loose side and the shawl is quite a large one so I am sure that it will be OK. I think that this project will be a pick up and put down one rather than a stick at it to the very end one.

I am still knitting the baby jacket and have started a front now. The knitting will probably be my TV watching project as I am still at the stage with the crochet shawl where I have to watch every row. I started the crochet in the quiet no TV time this morning so that I could concentrate.

I have just been shopping to replenish the fridge. It was looking like Mother Hubbard's larder in there with just a few eggs and a bit of cheese. Buster may arrive tomorrow and I didn't want to go out shopping when I can't walk him. He won't understand how I can do one thing and not the other. I have bought him some new treats and a bag of 3 brightly coloured balls as he (helped by Poppy and Buddy) has managed to chew all his tennis balls so they don't bounce any more. We are ready for ball throwing sessions in the garden providing it doesn't rain. The balls are fluorescent green, pink and orange so we won't lose them in a hurry and solid so he can't pop them. The only trouble with them though is that he chews off bits of rubber and they start to look like frayed objects rather than balls by the end of the weekend.

I phoned my friend Sue and she said that the wool that I was describing yesterday is Reflections by Creative Yarns and she got that from a wool shop in Ramsbottom but I am sure that it will be online somewhere. The mill that she went to was Cold Spring Mill at Cullingworth just outside of Haworth (Howarth?) and they apparently sell Debbie Bliss and Luisa Harding wools at reasonable prices. We have also been looking online at Iceyarns.com in Turkey. The wool is very cheap in price and looks lovely on the photos on the web site but it is only worth ordering if you order a lot as there are shipping charges to add to it. The only problem with that site is that you have to order things in whatever the bags come in . 6 or 8 balls. Beverooni says that she has worked with some of it and it seemed OK and Sue has been chatting to a lady on Ravelry who likes the wool. They certainly have a mind boggling choice of wools on the web site. I had a headache just browsing. There is so much to choose from that I didn't know where to look next. I will wait and see if Sue is going to order something, then I will have another look and decide and then we can split the shipping costs.