on my honor, i followed the pattern to the letter. at least, i thought i did. it is a really clear, simple pattern and there is no way a person of ordinary intelligence such as myself could have misunderstood the directions.
therefore, the only logical conclusion is that the yarn clearly and intentionally disregarded the pattern just to make me look bad.
the lesson here is this: as a pattern designer, i must double and triple check my pattern instructions. if there is ANY chance someone can misunderstand, someone will.
if you have the pattern "fabulous felted mittens for all" from the answer lady and would like to offer some clarification, my confusion is in the very first step--the cast on for a mid-gauge machine. :)
SRC: 20 points for using some yarn, 20 points for trying a new pattern, -15 points for messing it up. 25 points total for this project. not bad for something so awful.
*the answer lady has some terrific patterns available for immediate download for both knitting machine and frame (loom) knitters! i LOVE her pattern "fabulous felted footwear for frame knitters" (scroll down), it is well-written and comes with lots of good tips that will help even a beginner make great slippers. her customer service is also excellent and i plan to buy more of her patterns in the future.