Very recently, one piece of lace I was working on almost drove me around the bend: the Storm Water scarf. This is the second time I have endeavoured this pattern, and must have ripped it back in its entirety at least 50 times by this point. I managed to get this far the other day:
...and then everything went to hell.
So, just call me: 
(yes, yes, I know - I'm dating myself. This was the first video game I ever played. Coincidence? I think not!)
It's now frogged and GONE (at least it wasn't tossed over the balcony!
I don't understand why I can manage to do this type of lacework (after, mind you, lots of frogging!):
...but just can't seem to get my head around a relatively simple pattern.
So, I decided to throw over the (lovely) Pewter Sea Silk for a while. In its place, I've found a new favourite - Handmaiden Mini-Maiden! (sorry for cheating, sea silk. And with your sister to boot! I have no morals, obviously.
Half silk, half wool, all luxury. If you've ever used Belle Berger du Nord, it's like a laceweight version of that. Swoon.
This is my start on the Swallowtail Shawl
Check out the fancy beads! The colour reminds me of a sunset (or at least my very dim recollection of a sunset...it being February and all).
Mind you, the sun is shining today for once. I think it was also shining yesterday for a while but it was hard to tell as there was a huge fire downtown yesterday, which rendered the sky black and caused fumes in our office building several blocks away. We all went home early as a result and by the time I got home it was overcast again. SIGH.
But today is a new day. This morning before leaving for work, I read a post on frogging by Nautical Knitter on the Secret of the Stole II website. How timely!
She calls it "knitting backwards", which makes it sound far less tedious! I love the following quote in particular:
This post was inspirational enough that I decided to get out my Pewter Sea Silk this morning and start the Storm Water Scarf as a transit project. By the time I got to work, I had finished 20 rows without incident! Please wish me luck.
I am not sure that being proficient at working backwards is something to actually aspire to, but it is a necessary part of knitting and if you do not ever do it, then you are either perfect or not really knitting. Have confidence in the knitting skills you have already mastered, attempt those you feel comfortable with, and every once in a while try something you think might be beyond your skill level with the attitude that working backwards will be part of the whole experience.
(And so, the person who said a year ago "never, ever will I knit lace" is working on three consecutive lace projects. Hmm.)
Happy Thursday...
|