8 days later

Can you believe this? EIGHT DAYS?

I'll be honest: I was afraid to stop. I was afraid that if I didn't knit my absolute guts out every time I touched this thing, the mojo would leave and I'd make a mistake, or forget, or something terrible.

I was afraid that if I put in a lifeline, I'd screw up. I knit this with four stitch markers and no lifeline. The entire thing. You know that phrase about being out in the wind? That was me.

Today I knit 19 rows that each had around 200 stitches. That is 4000 stitches, give or take. My right hand hurts like crazy. But I didn't dare stop. Toward the end I was talking to myself like I do in a hard workout. "Ten more stitches, you can do ten standing on your head, come on, bind off, bind off, let's go." I am sure the neighbors across the way saw me knitting and muttering and since it looked like a large red hairball on the needles, I'll probably forever be known as a certifiable wacko. Or something.

I was totally obsessed with this. And hopefully, Lord willing and the cats don't trash it while it's blocking (they love them some alpaca), it will even make it to Michigan by Mother's Day.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I wet block it and give y'all the tell-all on what I did. Right now, I'm going to bed. I feel slightly sick to my stomach, like I just had a big adrenaline rush.