I tried, I really did.

So, yesterday being the last day of the knitting Olympics, I woke up in the morning, ran to the sofa and knitted like a demon. I phoned my mum and dad about 11am, and the reaction I had was, 'what on earth are you phoning us for? You should be knitting', you haven't got time to chat!'

Crikey, when did it get so serious? Others phoned to check on my progress, Anth brought me tea, and food so I only had to move when I wanted the toilet. By about 11.30 am I still had half the hood to go, no problem I thought. I'll get this done my 1, then I can do a sleeve in 4 hours then start the second at 6. At 3pm the rugby started, now unable to move because I was glued to the sofa, I had to put up with screaming men watching Wales loose spectacularly. Its hard to cable when there are men screaming at the TV.

By 8pm YES! 8 pm! When desperate housewives was starting, I was sewing up the hood. That's how long the damned thing took me ( I forgot how slow my knitting was). By then I still was hoping I could knit the sleeves into the early hours. By 9pm, I was having trouble telling what stitches were meant too be knitted, and what were meant to be purled. I had to admit I had been defeated, but not for want or trying.

But its not bad considering I started my submission 6 days late. I'm going to struggle with the motivation to finish the sleeves though.

I do believe I have experienced what I now officially call 'cabled post-traumatic stress disorder'. The best way to avoid this is to have breaks at least every two hours.

You know you have this if you are experiencing the following symptoms:

1) You can't remember which chart you are meant to be following.

2) You become confused about whether a stitch is meant to be a knit or a purl stitch...what the hell is knit and purl anyway?

3) You are confused about whether you are meant to be knitting from the right or left side of the chart, despite the fact that there are arrows pointing each step of your way.

4) Every time you look at the cabled symbol on your chart and you then go to check it on your instructions, it automatically switches into the opposite in your head, you end up knitting the wrong one and spend 45 minutes trying to work out why the sequence isn't working.

5) You've got to the end of your cabled sequence thing,  and it says there is another cable to work on your chart, you go back, frog the damned thing and then..... then the cables stitches that precede it untwist. Now you have no idea where the hell you are. Not to mention that because you were being the good conscientious knitter you are, you scribbled out each line as you finished it, now not only do you not know what line you are on, you couldn't read it even if you wanted to.

6) The cables on the chart start to dance around the page and won't keep still.

7) The frustration of dropping/loosing your cable needle down the side of the sofa, means you use any needle you can get your hands on, once these are all lost, you start using your pen as a cable needle, you loose that too; you cry.

8) You family start to get worried because you appear stressed. In order to pacify you, they ask you if you would like a cup of tea. You reply completely out of character, by screaming at them: Don't they understand that Ice skaters in the Olympics don't get interrupted in the middle of a routine and get asked if they want a cup of tea? That would be ridiculous. Surely they can read your mind and know when you are in the middle of something difficult, don't ask me, just bring the bloody tea.

Suffice to say that I am now in cable denial.

I never want to see another cable as long as I live.

In favour of cables, I have no aches in my hands, I guess because knitting the cables interrupts the rows of knitting.

I do have to say that the rogue pattern is the best written pattern I have ever knitted. The instructions are superb and perfect, there was no ambiguity and no mistakes what so ever. Even for someone like me who has a tendency to pervert all patterns by accident. Not this one. If you want to knit something cabled, knit this one, its superb.

So here's the picture of it in its unfinished state. I just noticed there is a difference in colour at the bottom, its more red than the rest. Bothered? Does this look like a bothered face?

I hate the variegation of the yarn though, it doesn't allow you too see the cables very well. The yarn wasn't meant to be variegated it was the result of a dyeing accident, and very little time.

It looks good on, I'll post a pic on once the sleeves are done.