It's one of those days

Where the only smart thing to do is cut your losses.

This decision came about earlier today when a cake I was baking either mysteriously fell or didn't rise. Functionally it doesn't matter which is the reason behind the flub.  When I pulled the cake pans from the oven, each was shaking it's finger at me and imitating the Soup Guy: "No coconut cake for you!"

Okay Cake Guy, so I'll cut my losses and have a coconut pudding torte instead of cake. Let's just hope my homemade cooked pudding turns out better than the cake did. This remains to be seen...

Failure at anything sends me running back to the one thing I know I can do reasonably well. So I turned my attention back to knitting. The BSJ is gifted out as of noon, so I need another spot of easy knitting. Hmmm, do I start something new or grab an easy mindless WIP?  Do I even have an easy mindless WIP hidden away somewhere?

What's in the closet?

The question caused me to dig out this old WIP of mine, and ask myself if I can finally finish this thing or cut my losses.  There's not much in knitting that's as mindless as feather and fan... I reached the difficult, but necessary, terminus on this WIP I've had since 2011. I love the pattern, I love the colors I chose, but I. HATE. THIS. YARN.

Even though the blanket is halfway completed, I know I'll never finish it because I can't stand touching the yarn. It's so tough to knit with that I can't say in mixed company the words I said the last time I gave the project a go. I've looked for other projects and uses for this yarn, but can't find one redeemable quality about it. That I still have this WIP after 3 years speaks to the hold yarn has on my heart. I can't even bear to throw crappy yarn away.

The yarn is hard, stiff and in work, feels like I'm knitting with mooring line. I'm sure that if I gave it to someone to rip and reuse they'd hate it - and me, for giving it to them - so much that they'd hang me with the yarn as an offering to the Grand Poobah of Knitting Imps. Said offering would then be rejected by said entity as unworthy. It's that bad, or these colorways are that bad, and life is way too short to knit with crappy yarn. 

 I know many of you use this yarn and may love it. If you are one of those knitters, what follows is just my opinion and worth what you paid for it.

I agree with Stephanie Pearl - McPhee that RH Super Saver yarn, along with cockroaches, will survive the apocalypse. I also happen to believe that until the apocalypse occurs, this yarn should also have a use by: date stamped on it. Much like toothpaste in a sink, RH Super Saver hardens over time. 

The blanket and remaining yarn is going into file 13 where I should have put it years ago.  So I cast on  one of the toy patterns I bought last week. Remember, I have Complicated Startitis? 

I feel pretty good that my Knitting Imp is shaking his finger at me and shouting, "No baby blanket for you!"