I suppose this qualifies as "progress"

Oh Lord help me

I had to ask a friend to make sure I kept working on this angel stocking by Mary-freaking-Maxim instead of starting new projects. But I think my friend knew in her heart that I would get it done, even if I did start three to eight other knit or crochet projects in between now and Christmas. So she hasn't really hounded me. Plus she's in Costa Rica right now riding on zip lines in the jungle. She's not really thinking about my tortuous knitting project.

Then my niece, who is also a knitter, came for a visit a few days ago. We had plenty of time together to knit and soothe one another's knitting woes and complaints. I was happily distracted by helping her sort out some seaming issues on her son's sweater. And we bought a zipper for it, and I sewed it in for her. Oh, and I think I helped untangle some yarn for another sweater she started, too. Despite all this distraction, I managed to drag this stocking out of the Ball Sack (that really is printed on one of my yarn project bags) and pick it up again. For the second time.

See, I've already knitted this stocking once. But I didn't follow the instructions for true intarsia. Mary Maxim does not include these instructions. They assume that you'll be smart enough to know what you're in for when you buy the yarn and the pattern. They didn't know who they were dealing with, obviously. Just because my mother was a wiz with these types of projects, doesn't mean I am. Fair isle, I like. I LOVE. Intarsia? Blegh.

I was carrying my yarn instead of whatever-it-is-you-do-with-all-those-colors-when-you-can't-carry-them. So whereas with Fair isle you have these lovely floats on the wrong side of your fabric, with intarsia, you have yarn barf. Fair isle floats are neat and tidy. They are easy to handle. See?

The inside, or backside, is lovely like the right side....

But this angel stocking is making me cringe. I am almost finished, and I can't wait. My niece enjoyed this type of knitting. She's made two, although not the angel design. But they were just as difficult, in my mind. So whenever she witnessed my mini-tantrums over this thing, she cringed. "How can you not enjoy this??" she would ask me. I would give her the stink eye. No words necessary.

I'm getting there, although I'm not entirely pleased with my skill. There will be a lot of fixing necessary on the back side.

And I just want to add that my niece was complaining about having to knit "another 6 inches!" in the same color in stockinette stitch! I'll gladly do that for ya! Anything to not have to change colors and twist yarns and not have the stitches all limp and loose.