Snow? Blizzard, even? Up to twenty-four inches? Who cares? I’ve got my knittin’.
I’m on the way to finishing the left side of the cardigan, and it’s good, easy knitting that holds my interest. I don’t want to jinx myself here, but I think I’ll be able to finish it in plenty of time. I’m getting gauge, the pattern makes complete sense, and there have been no surprises so far. I’m switching between balls of yarn every four rows to prevent any kind of pooling, but that’s just because I’m paranoid. I don’t want to put the finished sweater on and discover any unfortunately-located blobs of bright pink. I have to remember to do the button search, because buttons count as part of the project and I can’t leave them till the very end.
So what am I learning here? A few very interesting things about myself. I flit from project to project, impulsively and sometimes randomly. I think I get a lot less satisfaction from my knitting than I would if I planned and knit and finished a little more often. Spontaneous knitting is good, but too much of mine ends up in a pile, unloved and unwearable.
This project, on the other hand, feels really good. I am pleased that I planned it as carefully as I did (I swatched and everything!). I’m happy that I finally found a pattern that suits the beautiful yarn. That wonderful knitting rhythm — you know, the one that’s like breathing, that you hope you’ll achieve every time you pick up the needles? — it’s happening, it’s here in this sweater, and I’m here, too. Knitting away, knitting along with four thousand knitters who just might be in this same groove, and who are just as determined as I am to meet their Olympic Challenge, whatever it might be.
Not Plain Jane 