In knitting, a Nupp (pronounced Noop) is basically a grouping of 1 knit stitch and 1 yarnover repeated for a certain number of times on one row. On the second row, all of those stitches are purled together to make one stitch.
Now, I chose to make my nupps in an easier fashion by using a crochet hook and doing everything on one row. That method may be easier than the knit method, but it doesn't make it "easy". You can see a great video of how to do it by this method here.
So, What's a Nuppmare? For me, a Nuppmare happens during (mostly) daylight hours and has several segments. The size of my nupps is bugging me. They're inconsistent. Some larger, some smaller, but those are minor compared to what happened last night.
I was purling a row after having done a row that has a gracious amount of nupps in it. I got about midway through and noticed that I had left out a nupp. The first thing I found was that I could not "fudge" it in order to fix it. So, I tinked back, stitch after laborious stitch through the purl row and then the nupp row. Before I go on, it must be noted that this shawl has gotten large enough and the nupps tedious enough that it's taking me almost an hour to get through each row.
I reworked the entire nupp row and gave myself a big pat on the back and began purling the next row once more. I again got about midway through the row purling and realized that I had done it AGAIN. Not only that, but it was in almost the same place! So, I tinked back, stitch after d@mn laborious stitch through the purl row and then the nupp row.
I spent over two hours on two stinkin' rows of knitting! By this time I was ready to toss the whole freaking project in the lake. Which is where I am this week, at the lake. All I am doing is knitting. There are nine knitting days left before the wedding and panic has set in.
Another piece of the nuppmare is the children. My children. It's spring break and we took off to the lake. The lake is a quiet, serene place this time of year and my children, in my time of needing a quiet place to work, have decided to spend the entire time yelling, arguing, crying and being defiant towards all those in authority. It is very jarring against the beautiful background scenery to be found here. When you have to stop mid-nupp to referee a fight and that happens every two nupps, it would probably grate on anyone's nerves just a bit. Of course, I could be just a tad bit sensitive right about now.
Maybe after the wedding I'll escape to Tahiti and have an exotically handsome Cabana boy bring me Margaritas by the ocean and the only companion I'll bring is a good book. Yeah, that sounds like a great answer to my nuppmare.
