Impatience and Parentheses

Let’s just say that I’m not the world’s most patient person, generally.

Then there’s the pregnancy (officially reached: the bloated cranky stage), the upcoming move (omg omg 2.5 weeks omg omg), nervousness about a thousand things big and small that aren’t done yet (eek preschool waiting lists for crying out loud)…

…well, to nobody’s surprise, these things aren’t magically combining into a relaxed, summery, stress-free mood around here. It’s even starting to affect my knitting.

To be fair, it’s not only the stress that’s making me obsessively check my progress on the little kitchen scale. (40% done.) (Not that I’ve checked within the last hour of knitting time.) (Twice.) The stress plays a part, I’m sure, but so does the fabric slowwwly coming from my needles. In a perfect world, lace would not look like fiber vomit right up until the moment it’s pinned out. Since this world isn’t perfect, I occasionally get glimpses of texture that make me long for an FO.

The rest of the time, this gorgeous yarn looks like total crap. Seriously. I don’t know how it’s possible, either.

The knitting is going well, though. Now that I’m past the edging, the lace is so easy I can do it anywhere: Next to Jacob while he builds yet another train track, in front of the tv at night, talking with other knitters. It’s really nice to know that I can just knit and knit and knit, basically until I run out of yarn, without a care. Like toe-up socks on a larger scale. As a reminder, this is the construction allowing that:

Knit edging 1, knit edging 2 and then the body of the stole, graft. Also, remember what I said about the pinning giving the lace grace and fluidity? This is what I meant by that–the bottom edging isn’t pinned out at all–it’s what the stole looks like hanging from the needles. (More or less, anyway.) Oh, and the size difference there is lying more than a bit–the spare needle I have the first edging on is quite a bit longer and gives the stole more space to spread out.

Relaxing knitting though it is, and as impatient as I am to get the shawl done, I still feel like I need something else on the needles. Preferably socks.

I might make faster progress if I could make up my mind about the pattern. Or the yarn. At least I’ve narrowed the latter down to a particular brand?

16 thoughts on “Impatience and Parentheses

  1. This is a great idea – do both edgings first, and then just knit until oblivion. No fear of running out! Perfect.
    I hear you about the stress – I am moving to India for a year in 2.5 weeks, and am going c-r-a-z-y just making lists of all the things I have to do.

  2. It’s so pretty! I really like that construction. I’ve finished 2 lace shawls now with Sundara’s yarn and I have so much left. I feel it’s such a waste. I like that you can just knit and knit and knit now!

  3. Yeah, just get some socks on those needles asap, you need some sock relaxation!

  4. I just spent a month projecting all of my stress onto my knitting. Oh my! So glad it’s there, but it makes it seem like knitting is driving me crazy when it’s actually life that is driving me crazy. Gracious!

  5. The scraf is coming along – I love the pretty edges! And that Sundara – breathtaking, per usual:)

  6. The scarf is coming along spectacularly – I love the pretty edges! And that Sundara – breathtaking, per usual:)

  7. ooh the stole is so pretty. you’re so right, i love it pinned out with points 🙂

  8. Ooh, I see Rivendell peeking out under that pile — that is one gorgeous sock pattern!

  9. It’s getting even more beautiful with progress!

    But what really gets me is that blue sock yarn. Breathtaking. 🙂

  10. The colour of that yarn for your scarf is the same as the Horse Chestnut (I think that is what it is called) tree blossom round here at the moment. Lovely.

  11. I love the loop of this scraf – so pretty, and so well knitted… sigh … another one for the queue…

  12. oh, i so hear you. always thinking of what is next.
    i love all of those choices for socks. especially the greens.

  13. It sounds like you have a wicked case of lifegettingin thewayofknittingitis! You seem though to also understand the only remedy for that condition is to plan for more knitting!

  14. The shawl/scarf is absolutely gorgeous … such a rich colour.

  15. Lace really is a funny creature. You should get some motivation from those lovely pictures though. It’s gorgeous!

  16. The lace is looking gorgeous, I am glad that I have other Sundara obsessed people in my entourage 🙂 What width do you think that the shawl will block out at? I suspect that I am going to have about 800yds of Sundara lace left after I have done the border on my sister’s wedding shawl so I am thinking of what I could do with the rest of it… x

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