These are very close up pics of the LFFCS/BOBA lace. Pretty, eh?

Last night I promised myself I’d get at least 4 rounds (640 st each *ugh*) done on my LFFCS/BOBA. I was doin’ it, too….knitting like the wind. Then disaster struck.

**WARNING** This next part is not for the faint of heart.

The skirt is on my 60 inch Knitpicks options cord and the cord came unglued from the join. It happened as I was moving the work along, you know how it gets all bunched up? I’ve done this hundreds of times before, but this time the cord just pulled out…around 40 stitches were dropped off and I just about had a heart attack. This yarn is cotton/rayon and super slippery. And it’s all lace…yarn overs and PSSOs. If I so much as moved a muscle, the stitches would start to unravel and I would never be able to get it all back. I gasped out loud and said, “OK, don’t anybody move.” Mostly to myself, but my dear husband stopped in his tracks and turned around to see. The first thing he said was, “What do you need me to do?” I was frozen and I barely dared move my lips. I’m not exaggerating about how slippery this yarn is… I was envisioning weeks of knitting going to hell.

I had a pair of 16 inch circs laying on my desk and asked him to bring them. He held part of the work and a needle still, while I tried to find and pick up the dropped stitches. I’m pretty sure I didn’t breathe for at least 10 minutes. I managed to get it all secured, then I set it down and started to breathe again.

It took me about an hour to move the entire project onto another 60 in. cord, find all the dropped yarn overs and replace the stitch markers. I’m pretty sure I got it all, but it’s definitely going to look wonky there. My only consolation is that this is a flowy drapey skirt and I’m sure it won’t be massively obvious to the casual viewer. I prolly won’t be showing it off to any knitters, though!

Damn, I got all tense again, just writing about it.

I called Knitpicks today. A nice lady named Millie, actually gasped out loud when I told her what happened. She was very sorry. I never had any doubts that they’d replace the cord, and of course, that’s what she said she’d do right away. Knitpicks is known for their outstanding customer service. The cord was only $3.99, so it’s not about the money. It’s about the trust. How can I trust that it won’t happen again? The trust and comfort is gone…I s’pose with time my complacency will return. I only hope that another disaster like that doesn’t happen again.

Next yarn? Something super wooly, that will stick together no matter what. Something that felts from the sweat on my fingers…yeah, that’s the ticket!

Tonight I’m turning the heel on my Fetzensock. Nice and safe.