Making Progress

I've found another thing that knitting is brilliant for: sleepless nights. Last night the weather couldn't make up its mind, so it was cold, wet, but humid. And the gale-force winds made a lot of racket, too, so sleep was being evasive.

I gave up and pulled out my Branching Out lace.

If, to the uninitiated, it looks like a mess, wait until it's finished. It will block into something amazing. That's nine repeats, and I think I'm still aiming for 26 repeats. And I would like it finished by the morning of the 19th because then I'll be able to block it and dry it, and then wear it to Nick's office Christmas party on the 20th.

Is that too ambitious? We shall see.

The only trouble with knitting lace on sleepless nights, at least with me, is that I get hungry after. I went to bed finally at about 5 am, only to be so hungry that my rumbling stomach was actually keeping me awake. So I had a bit of breakfast with Nick when he got up and then went back to bed.

As an aside, you know your husband knows you and your knitting enough by now when he sees you tugging and pulling and holding down your lace so you can see what it looks like, and he says very simply, "Oh, just knit the bloody thing already, will you?"

Starting next week I'll be manning a small temporary job of looking after a particular yarn shop while the usual genius-in-residence is away on her Christmas holiday. This will restrict my knitting choices a little, as I should be respectful and supportive of my particular yarn shop, so I will be working on this:

Remember this? The Koigu feather-and-fan scarf? It's coming along very nicely, and if I don't get to finish Branching Out in time, I know this will get finished if I knit it in the hours I'm at the shop. I think it will look just as nice with my black dress with the cream lace trim.

Blocking will again solve many ills, not that this looks half bad as is, but the colours are outstanding. I love this scarf so much. It is very quick if you just sit down with it, and it's so satisfying to see your colour choices work its magic. I am sure it will be finished before Christmas.

The rainbow-coloured Ziggy Stardust is also in progress, and I've set myself the morning of the 15th as my deadline. Plenty of time to wash, block - mostly to flatten the stocking stitch sections - and dry the thing before I tassle it, which won't take long at all. It's over the halfway point, so if I be good and just not knit anything else for a while - apart from while at the shop - this should get done, too.

If not for other distractions, like say, Super Mario Galaxy or the fact that Diane has taught me how to spin with a top-whorl drop spindle.

It's funny, but I think the combination of the physics and engineering and the fact that you get yarn you made yourself at the end of it is what gets me. Diane was so good at explaining the very practical and physical aspects of spinning, like getting enough twist and how to feed the twist to the rest of the unspun fibre that when I started it was the physics that had me.   

That I got this at the end? Squeesome bonus. You know the verbal moron I can be? I actually said, "Oooh look! It's YARN!"

As you can see, my later attempt without her help yielded less... professional-looking results. But I'm sure I'll get better. If only my Turkish spindle would arrive from America, that is...

Maybe when I get good, I'll invest in a few of these. I love things made out of wood; things that are made out of wood that help me make yarn are even better!

Comments

[Diane]

Ooh, nice yarn girl!

[Kai]

love the scarfs.. both look stunning! and you're doing well with the spinning. :D

[Chantelle]

Ooooh shinyness abounds! I look forward to seeing all these shinies in person on Tuesday!

I'm sure the Fluffenstuff lady will be over the book when you send her a piccie of the finished stuff using her yarn.

[Ali]

Chantelle: Oooh, that's right - she did say to email her pictures of any finished products made with her yarn... :)

[Tikkunknitter]

What a lovely scarf. The colors are luscious. You sound busy, but perhaps you'll have time after the holidays to contribute a bit of knitting to the TikkunTree Project, a community craft project for peace in the Mid-East:
www.thetikkuntree.wordpress.com
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Leslie

[Nikki]

Too ruddy right I will Kai! ;-)