The evil knitting pixies are after me

So last night I finally got around to the steeks on the Lillehammer sweater. That’s right! I hauled my sewing machine out, set it up on the table, slapped Captain Adventure’s hands away from all moving parts fifty mazillion times until he finally lost interest and moved on to disassembling the washing machine.

I steamed the sweater as instructed. I measured the sleeves – twice. I measured the sweater. I pinned to the marks. I held the sleeves to the sweater to double check my work.

I put the sweater under the foot of the sewing machine.

I began stitching.

I got perhaps 2” down the first 12” armhole when there was a CRACK!!

…and my sewing machine needle broke.

Now, obviously, it must have hit one of the pins I’d put in to guide me – but honestly, I can’t fathom how. It’s like, pin…six stitches…pin. And I was stitching two stitches away from the pins.

Nevertheless, unless the needle just randomly broke because Merino wool was just too heavy for it…I hit a pin, and broke my needle.

Either that, or the evil knitting pixies have decided to come over and stay for a while. It would explain the other problems I’ve had with this sweater, like the fact that every time I sit down to work on it I hear a little voice calling down the stairs, “Sorry, mommy! And, I’m OK!”

I went looking for the spare needle(s) I laughably, in retrospect was certain I had. You know. Somewhere…around here…sewing machine needles…hmmmmmmmm…

Can’t find them. Must order them or something. This being a Norwegian style steek (no ‘buffer’ stitches), I’m not comfortable with the crochet-hook method or even my hand-sewing. I want two lines of tiny machine stitches, thank-you-very-much, before I cut these things to install the sleeves and get ON with it, already!!

Sigh.

And now I’m going through my stash trying to decide what to knit next. I’ve got some gray alpaca lace weight, I could try the Pacific Northwest shawl again in a pretty ‘fog gray’ color…but I’m not sure I’m really feeling the love for the project, or the yarn. So I’m digging through my stash, enough yarn to start my own yarn store muttering, “Darn it, I just don’t have a thing to knit!” I think this is because the evil pixies are messing with my stash. I know there is more yarn in there, yarn suitable for all sorts of projects, but darned if I can put pattern and ball together and come up with anything.

Also, the evil pixies made me forget that I had taken the Sock In Progress out of my purse to knit this morning over coffee because, well, the Lillehammer was obviously not happening. So I went to pickup / dropoff this morning without any knitting to keep me occupied for half an hour. HALF AN HOUR. Sitting. In the car. WITH NO KNITTING. It is a wonder I survived.

Seriously.

(And if you happened to be driving that black Yukon I sort of cut off after I shoved my son onto the curb in front of his teacher? Yeah, sorry about that – I was having wool withdrawals and had to get home pronto for a fix, I’m sure you understand…)