Hi friends, Remember how excited I was about the Gwendolyn? Well. I started working on the swatch last night, and wowzers! I didn't think it was possible for me to be a slower knitter. But it is! And I am! It took me 43 minutes to do 4 rows of 25 stitches. That works out to one stitch every 26 seconds, which, translated into broader terms, is an absolutely glacial pace. Especially when you consider just how many stitches are in a sweater. (10,000? 25,000? One bazillion?) At this rate I will be 100 years old before I finish a single sleeve. Now, it's not all my fault. Yes, it's been a while since I've cabled, and yes, I imagine that once I get the chart memorized I'll speed up a little. And yes, Hawaii 5-0 might have to shoulder some of the blame, too. (I know the plots are ridiculous and the action is highly improbable, but hey, I'm watching it for the, um, scenery. Ahem.) Part of the problem might also be the fact that I'm clinging steadfastly to the "old-school" method of cabling – with a cable needle. The fact that I've suddenly got a third needle to reckon with also seems to be slowing me down, and I think I'm going to have to get with the times and master this whole "cabling without a cable needle" thing. I rounded up a couple of tutorials for myself ( one from Glenna, one from Grumperina), and we'll see if I can't improve my record a little bit tonight. Then again, at 2 stitches a minute, I've set the bar pretty low. Let's just hope there's nothing good on TV, hm?