I am Harry Pottered out. I have a sore thumb from handling so many books. It weighs about 2.5 lbs. Multiply that by a gazillion, and that’s why my thumb hurts.

At least I know my brain still works. It’s been contemplating some of the beautiful yarn that my KR Secret Pal sent me (Hi, Mary!). It’s a lovely lavender (Supermerino, color 124) from Art Yarns, and I’ve been looking at it, petting it, and wondering what to do with its 500 yards of wonderfulness. What do you know, someone over at KR posted about a scarf they’re making, and I knew immediately that this yarn and this scarf are destined for each other. It’s the Amazing Twining Lace scarf in Knitter’s Best of Shawls and Scarves.

I’ve always wanted to knit this scarf, but for the longest time I thought the pattern was “too hard” for me. That’s a load of whatever, because I’ve attempted and accomplished more complicated stuff than this. The chart was holding me back, but I’ve mastered charts and I’ve begun to prefer them over line-by-line instructions. Grafting two wide pieces intimidates me, because I loathe the Kitchener stitch. I do know how, but I really, really hate to Kitchener. It’s the price I’ll pay to make this scarf, because the pattern is beautiful, a little complicated, and should show off the yarn perfectly. Did I mention that I can’t stand to Kitchener? I think it might be one of the few things that I have to re-think because I am left-handed.

There’s nothing else in knitting that I have had to do differently because of my handedness. In fact I might be in danger of becoming some sort of radical, because when I read KR topics about how hard it is to learn to knit if you are left-handed, I want to reach through the Internet and strangle someone. I taught myself to knit by reading a Coats and Clark’s booklet, and I seem to have managed for all these years. What’s the big deal?

I am the only left-handed person in my immediate family, the smack-dab-in-the-middle child, and the most earnestly creative one of all five of us. Nobody ever wanted me to conform, no teacher ever forced me to write like a scrinched-up crab in order to master perfect penmanship (and I’ve been told my handwriting is lovely, thanks to Mrs. Weiss in the 3rd grade), and I will never understand why left-handed children are made to feel like they are hopeless cases when it comes to anything requiring dexterity. They seem to grow up into fearful adults, at least creatively (the “Oh, I could never do that because I’m left-handed” thing). If anything, I am more dexterous than many right-handed people, simply because I learned to be adaptable at an early age.

Back to the Kitchener. I can do it, but it’s not natural for my brain to work in the usual direction (from right to left), so I always have to stop and think too much about it. This is why I have developed my own little formula for closing the toe of a sock, without grafting. So there. I’ll just have to grit my teeth when it’s time to Kitchener the Amazing Twining Lace scarf.

I’ve made some changes to my blog template, and I’m feeling pretty proud of my HTML-ing. I’m not sure how much I love the little piece of a watercolor that is up there now (here is the whole painting), but at least now I know how to change it. Thanks to Marfa and RoseByAny, I learned a few things this week!