And this is why...

When you knit lace, it is not unusual to have a yarn over disappear. It's the yarn overs that help to create the 'lace', but if you should lose one, you will end up with a hole bigger than what you had intended, not to mention throw off your stitch count for the following rows of your pattern. I know lots of knitters will just fudge it and create a new yarn over on the next row when they get to the stitch that should be there, but isn't. I might have an issue with a touch of OCD. I want my lace to be perfect. I don't want to have to fudge anything. Which is why I use the recommended lifelines. If you are clever enough to be able to read your knitting that well, you can pick up the original yarn over that slipped away. In all my years of knitting (almost 50? whew!), I haven't ever taken the time to learn to pick that yarn over back up. Regardless, even if I did learn it, I will continue to use a lifeline. There are too many reasons why you should.

Last night, I was working on that lace scarf/stole I showed you previously, when my stitch count became off. I was one stitch short, so I either let one of those yarn overs slip past me, or I forgot to do one in the first place. Either way, it didn't matter. I had my lifeline just a few short rows away, so I was okay with ripping my work back to that line, where I knew I had the correct number of stitches. It's the first time I've ever had to actually use one, but I was so thankful I had put it in. I use crochet cotton, which is nice because I also use Knitpicks Harmony Interchangeable needles. At the join between the needle and the cable is a little hole that is used to tighten the join when you connect the needle with the cable. That hole can also be used to put the thread in, and as you knit, your work slides onto the cable along with the lifeline. Clever! If you have never used a lifeline, you can youtube it. It's a lifesaver! In the picture below, you can see what a nightmare it would be to have to pick up those stitches if you have to rip back for any reason. The blue thread you see is my lifeline where I ripped my work back to. It is holding my stitches so I can pick them back up with my needles.

 In this picture, you can see how quick it is to get your work back on your needles and proceed with your knitting. Within minutes, I was well on my way again, well past that blue lifeline you can hopefully see.

 

There you have it. The reason why you should consider using a lifeline to save yourself from a lot of frustration! Unless, of course, you have a few cocktails while you're knitting. In which case, I'm sure it won't matter how many stitches you have on your needles. Haha!

 

A few years ago, when I met my husband, we started a collection of Lampe Berger Catalytic Effusion oil lamps. I love them!! They were invented in France in 1898 to purify the air in hospitals. The oils are 91% alcohol and the scent comes from essential oils. This is one of many websites where you can see them, and if you aren't in California, you can order the oil and have it shipped to you. The lamps range in prices anywhere from around $45. to as much as $2700. My husband and I simply collect the ones that we like the looks of. Here's the problem though. California, the state where we reside, has banned the oils from being shipped in to us. It makes no sense whatsoever, since we can buy the alcohol at any Wal Mart or drug store. We were ordering it from a charming store in Utah, but they have even now been banned from shipping it to our state. These businesses can ship it to any other state. The powers that be have now forced my husband and I to bootleg it into our home so we can enjoy the benefits and beauty of our lampes. We make at least two trips per year to my husband's home state of Idaho, and while there, we buy several one liter bottles of fragrance. We are no longer stopped at the checkpoint station at the state line, so we don't even have to lie about bringing any agriculture or "flammables" into the state. I must have used our lampes a lot since we were last in Idaho, because I have now run out and we won't be making our bi-annual trip until the spring. So, the best I can do is make a trip over to Reno, which is about a two hour drive, and stock up (which almost always includes another lampe), since I can't even find a store anywhere closer to me that stocks it. We have tried making our own, but there is nothing like the real deal. If you purchase a lampe and have access to the oils, you won't be sorry. They rid the air in your home of any bacteria, and the pleasant scents will delight your olfactory nerves!