The P of P has managed to find her way through two more weeks without getting The Shawl finished. It's not that I just hang out eating bon bons...if I'm not working at the shop, I'm on the full tilt wool hustle here at home...and my knitting time, like my reading time, is relegated to after dinner, when I'm usually too tired to be very focused.
The problem appears (to me) that lace knitting is not a social activity. I am falling in love with it, and have some more projects lined up, but have no idea how to fit that kind of knitting into my life on a regular basis, unless I learn to get up in the wee hours and adjust to that schedule. Last time I tried that, it took me days to recover. I would love to hear how you all manage to fit this into your lives. Or better yet, tell me that eventually I'll get so competent that I'll be able to do this while watching television, movies, or chatting with Mr. Sunflower. He'd like the answer to that, also...he knows now he can only talk on purl rows...not conducive to fluid conversation.
So anyway, here's what I've done...I've written to Rene Dickey of knitsfinished.com (see our sidebar) and made a reservation for her to give it the final touches. I have sworn it will be in a FedEx envelope, winging its way to her, on Tuesday, August 21. She will then lovingly catch and repair the two dropped stitches I've found and block the entire shawl to make it look beautiful. I have told her this will be like the icing on the cake for me, and I'm very appreciative...she is a miracle worker. It will then zoom its way back to Taos, I'll take photos to share with you, and before we turn around twice, it will be adorning the shoulders of the bride.
I have no more excuses. Mr. Sunflower is leaving town today and I intend to spend the next two days doing nothing but knitting and getting this puppy finished. I swear. Stay tuned.
Now, for some fun: 
a couple of days ago, one of our sales reps (that I had not met before) stopped in to say hi. Check her out! Meet Maryann and her husband Frank...this rep rocks. She actually knits socks on 4" needles while they travel. Aren't they cool? I am loving this. It reminds me of EZ, knitting behind the Gaffer, and the little scene at the end of one of her instructional videos where they get pulled over because she's knitting without a license. Also, I must admit a particular love of Harleys...and I won't get too far into that discussion, except to say they played a rather colorful part in my long ago life, and despite my having chosen a more traditional path after my explorations, I still have the sound of a Harley ranked as one of my favorite sounds in life.---Martie
4 comments:
Martie, I am looking forward to seeing pictures of the shawl!
How to find time for lace? I can't do lace in social situations either, or while watching the news, or while doing anything else! Been knitting lace for years now, and for me that's just the way it is. Most of the lace knitters I know find that it's a solitary activity.
I have to count everything and pay attention to everything. Even on the purl rows my family knows not to talk to me, because I am counting the stitches in each repeat. Well, maybe an occiasional interruption if I'm doing a short pattern repeat would not be deadly, but now I'm in the middle of a shawl with a 24-stitch pattern repeat. Hoo boy.
I am retired and live with my husband (who is cool with stash in every room, yarn and fiber and three wheels) and my 91-year-old mother. Mom is a dear friend and easy to be with, and she is a fine knitter herself, but she likes to talk and takes quite a bit of my attention. So I knit lace very early in the morning before she's up or in the afternoon when she's napping. This is not as much time as I'd like, but it's what I have. (I did get quite a bit done when she was reading Harry Potter and didn't want any distractions!)
You will figure out for yourself what conditions you need in order to not mess your lace up. All knitters are different, so discover your own road. And oh, by the way, learn how to tink an SSK. It is not immediately apparent, and it drove me nuts till I learned!
Hi Kay...your wisdom again, thank you. You have confirmed what I suspected might be the case. I would very much like to see some of your lace work...can you e-mail pictures to me? A 24 stitch repeat sounds daunting...I'll think of you today while I do my 10 stitch sections.
Congratulations on your progress! I've been quietly following your lace knitting journey. For me knitting lace is a solitary endeavor. And I know it's the same for most of my knitting buddies. The easiest way for me to get quiet time is to get up early - but it can be brutal after a while. Have you tried listening to books on tape while you knit?
It will get easier. And you may eventually find you can knit a bit of lace in social settings. Also, a lace scarf may be a bit more manageable. Just have a back up project with you in case you find the distractions make it too difficult to concentrate on the lace.
Your comments on spinning have inspired me to sit behind my wheel and have at it. Thanks. And I'm with you on the smell of dirty fleece.
Anxiously awaiting pictures . . .
Hi Stephanie: Thanks for reminding me about books on tape. I used to listen to those while weaving or spinning. I've been sitting here knitting on The Shawl for the last two days, and think I have another two days to the end.
It makes me happy that I've inspired you to get back to your wheel. I love the support system and inspiration we all offer each other. Thanks for your help!
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