For what it's worth, the aforementioned yarn store, which sold us multiple dyelots for that aran project, gave a full refund for all of the yarn, even that which had already been knit/rolled into balls. I understand they were very apologetic as well.

I did not mention their name when I spoke ill of them, and I will not mention it now, lest others take too great advantage of their generosity.

We're going to School Products Thursday to re-select yarn.

I made a hat yesterday.

I tried to use this pattern, which I found a link to on You Knit What?!? I used a bulky, charcoal grey cashmere from School Products, which I had bought for my birthday.

But since I seem to be physically incapable of following simple instructions, I changed a few things.

1. My hats are always 88 stitches. They just are. It makes my life simpler.
2. I don't understand why one would do seed stitch in the round on an even number of stitches, as called for in the pattern, when on an odd number, it's jogless. I did it on an even number for the hat band (see item #1), but switched to an odd number on the earflaps (where technically, it didn't matter, but it appealed to my sense of symmetry).
3. I can't bring myself to put cat ears on this. The stockingette is so smooth and nice. If I want to be irreverent, I'll tie the earflaps on top of my head.

I haven't done the pompons yet on the flap ties. I can't decide if I want to do a pompon on top too.

There's a Devil Hat pattern on the same site. Since I still have a ton of the red cashmere leftover from my entrelac turtleneck sweater, maybe I'll do a hat with horns yet.

Oh well, thus ends that project. The recipient is as pissed as I was about the dyelot issue, and plans to return the yarn.

Bah fangool!

See that line in today's picture. I thought it was just a crease. I'm looking and the #$(&% gave us different dyelots. I specifically asked her to check. (This brand of yarn doesn't have any labels on the skeins. She took the yarn outside and looked at it in the sun. She said it all came from the same order so it should be the same. )

Shit. I basically have to frog all of that and try to figure out how many dyelots I have at home and how I want to handle this. (Bloody yarn store is 120 miles away.)

A morning's worth if knitting, wasted, if not more. (If the preceding two balls are the "off" dyelot, then I basically have to start all over.)

Day 4, Ball 3

I'm making progress, but it's slower than I'd like.

This isn't really a proper aran, so I'm mentally planning how I would change it were I to make it again. It definitely needs a center panel, and other aran elements, and I'd probably do it in the round.

Day 3

I didn't make much progress. For one thing, it's miserably hot in the Northeast, and I've just been tired; it was still light out when I went to bed last night. So I've only added maybe another 3 inches.

Day 2 - on my second ball of yarn.

(I'm counting Sunday as Day 0, since I didn't get much done but casting on & beginning the latticework.)